


Ironic

by awfuldaycupcake



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: 5 Seconds of Summer - Freeform, 5SOS - Freeform, Amnesia, F/M, M/M, Mashton, Mentions of Blood, car crash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-07
Updated: 2015-01-05
Packaged: 2018-02-20 05:22:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 25,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2416421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awfuldaycupcake/pseuds/awfuldaycupcake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's only one day after The Last Movie Night when it happens. Michael Gordon Clifford was hit by a truck at a crossroads, only to wake in a hospital without a single memory of how he got there or where he even was. He had no idea who any of his best firends were, never less this thing he had going on with Ashton.</p>
<p>It was simply a kiss. But even that could end a life, if timed correctly. Amnesia... It's a little ironic, if I do say so myself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1// Social Casualty

**Author's Note:**

> Everything here is fictional, except the people. They’re real. This story? Not so real. Bo? She isn’t real, either. She’s in a lot of my stories if you want more, though. All events are made up. Character’s opinions are made up, too. Great. Now get reading , you lazy ass.

“Monday Night, my place.” Calum said into the phone. Ashton nodded, scrawling the information down on the back of his hand.   
“Got it.” He mumbled back, setting down the pen and hanging up. 5 Seconds of Summer had just finished touring the UK and the rest of Europe. After months of amazing hillsides and bustling cities, they were finally home. To Ashton, at least, the hardest part of being away was missing his family. The stage, the crowd, the fans screaming his name- he loved every second of it. However, the long rides on tour busses were usually the time he’d let himself slip back into thoughts of home.

Ever since he joined the band, Ashton had become part of the tradition that the rest of the boys have called Monday’s Mega Movie Marathon. According to Luke, it started when the three of them were arguing over what movie to choose. Luke, being the sensible one, or so he says, suggested that they each pick five of their favorite movies. They’d then pull names from a hat on which one of them to watch. While this lead to a few arguments down the road, it was a simple solution. Most of the time.

Ashton put his phone into his back pocket and began the short walk to the movie shop down the street. He had always been fond of the little place, and the fact that no one else was ever in there was always a perk. He opened the door, and the little bell at the top clanged. “Hello, welcome to The Vinyl Countdown, the one stop shop for all your CD and music- oh, hey Ash. Thought we might have actually had a new customer today.”

The girl in the shop was Bo Wagner, someone with the dream of making it in the business career. She opened a little shop down the street from Ashton’s place a year or so ago, and he has come here for movie rentals ever since. 

“Yeah, it is Monday. Gotta keep up my reputation of waiting ‘till last minute, or everyone will think that I’ve really gone and lost it, won’t they?” Bo chuckled, and Ashton made his way to the back of the store. The music selection of the store was okay, but the movie rentals were high class. There were action, anime, comedy, rom-coms, (Not that he’d ever pick one of those… heh,) horror, film festival, and more. Ashton leafed through the movies, deciding which would annoy everyone the most. He’d pick Dragon Ball Z again, but Calum banned the series two weeks ago when he found out that Michael and Ash had teamed up and rented ten different copies of the movies, basically guaranteeing the chance of it being selected.

Ashton picked up Scream 4, Scary Movie, (The first one. All the sequels were fucking horrible,) Walkabout, Anchorman, and Howl’s Moving Castle before heading up to the front desk.   
“Cal banned the Dragon Ball Z movies. Couldn’t say I didn’t see it coming.” Ashton smirked, putting the books lightly down on the desk.  
“Yeah, what ever happened to being Unpredictable?” Bo joked.

Ashton’s walk back from the store wasn’t so pleasant. Rain dripped down from the sky in a steady downpour, drenching him and the movies. He figured he might as well just walk to Calum’s house from where he was. It would be the same distance length, anyways.

When he finally opened Calum’s door, Ashton was tackled by Luke and Michael, and Calum shouted something along the lines of “Hey, A! You’re late again.” It was Calum’s turn to cook, and he usually just put in popcorn and then drenched it with more butter than needed.

“What movie did you get this time?” Luke asked casually, and Ashton could tell that he was simply hoping that Ashton wouldn’t have gotten any more horror movies. Last week they had to watch Ashton’s choice of movie, Wolf Creek. Luke never really did well with horror.   
“Scary Movie, Moving Castle, Scream 4… and a few others. I dunno.” He noticed Luke’s flinch at Scream, and broke out into a full grin. 

“Mikey, what’d you get?” Calum asked, walking into the room with a bowl of popcorn in his arms. Luke pulled out a pen and began to write down Michael’s choices for movie, to be drawn out of the hat later. “Uh, The Avengers, World War Z, Oculus, Hunger Games, and… well…” Michael stuttered off, smiling.  
“Tell me it isn’t Dragon Ball Z. It isn’t, is it?” Calum asked, reaching for Mikey’s movies. He only laughed, pulling out a worn blu ray copy of Dragon Ball Z Season 6. “I’ll get you for that, Clifford!” Calum shouted, and began chasing Mikey around his apartment. 

“Alright, so Howl’s Moving Castle, Scream Scary Movie 4-” Luke started, and Ashton cut him off.  
“No. Luke Hemmings, the disaster that was Scary Movie 4 will no longer be mentioned here. Scream 4, Scary Movie 1.” Ash corrected, a-matter-of-factly. Luke nodded calmly, as if this was all usual. Well, to their standards, it was.

They ended up watching one of Luke’s tacky romantic movies. The Fault in Our Something-or-other. Ashton was a little disappointed with the choice, but he knew not to complain with the system, or be threatened with a grumpy Luke and defensive Cal. He plopped down on the sofa next to Michael, as the girl began to explain her life story. 

“Cancer sucks, man.” Ashton heard Mikey whisper, and he nodded. “If you were to end up with any disease, what one wouldn’t you want it to be?” Mikey continued, and Ashton grimaced.   
“Cancer, I guess. Sounds like hell on Earth.” Ashton answered grimly, quiet enough so Mikey could hear him, but not Luke and Calum, who seemed very invested in the movie.   
“I think l wouldn’t want amnesia.” Michael muttered seriously, and Ash cocked an eyebrow.   
“That’s ironic, considering how many times we’ve all said that we wish we could wake up with it.” Ashton said, a little too loudly. This earned him a severe ‘ssh’ing noise from Calum, on the other end of the room.   
“Yeah, well.” Michael sighed, and suddenly, the conversation was dead.

Ashton didn’t expect to enjoy the movie as much as he did. Luke’s chick flicks normally bored him, but he felt tears prick at the corners of his eyes after Hazel’s eulogy. “He didn’t deserve to die like that!” Calum shouted at the end of the movie, and the rest of them all nodded solemnly.   
“Damn you, Hemmings, with all your emotional trauma movie bullshit.” Ashton muttered through tears, and they all looked at him. 

“Ashton, you’re crying.” Luke pointed out unhelpfully, and Ash looked down.  
“I’m not crying, you’re crying.” he said, quietly.  
“Aww, we need a hug circle!” called Calum, and Ashton scowled.   
“We don’t need a hug c-” Ashton was cut off by Michael gripping him into a bone crushing hug. Before he knew it, Calum and Luke were joining in this ‘hug circle,’ and Ashton stopped crying and started laughing. 

At that precise moment, he felt happy. He felt like, even if he got cancer, or amnesia, or any sort of problem was thrown his way, he could conquer it. Ashton Irwin felt on top of the world.


	2. Chapter 2// Heartache on the Big Screen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everything here is fictional, except the people. They’re real. This story? Not so real. Bo? She isn't real, either. She’s in a lot of my stories if you want more, though. All events are made up. Character’s opinions are made up, too. Great. Now get reading , you lazy ass.

It was an hour after the Last Movie Night. Ashton had started capitalizing it in his head. After all, it was very important to him. Hell, it was fun, but that’s not the point. It was the last time he spoke to Michael.

After the tears of The Fault in Our Stars wore off, they figured that they might as well play a game of some sort. “The night is still young!” Calum shouted happily, and Ashton smirked. Calum could be a handful sometimes- not to say that he couldn’t.

“I know, ready? We should play… Wait for it… Truth or Dare!” Michael said, and Luke rolled his eyes. Everyone knew how much Truth or Dare bugged Luke. Ever since he was dared to kiss Calum a few weeks ago, he’s despised the game with a strong passion. Luke also never got over the fact that it was Michael who dared him. Ashton was willing to bet that if they played, Luke would have only revenge on his mind.

“Oh, come on, Hemmings! I couldn’t have been that bad of a kisser.” Calum joked, slinging an arm around Luke’s shoulder. Luke shook him off with a sigh. Calum put his hands up in surrender, and Ashton couldn’t help but laugh. Maybe all of them were handfuls.

“Oh, don’t be a prissy pants. We’re playing, weather you like it or not.” Ashton chimed in. Mikey sat in the center of the rug, clapping his hands together.  
“I get to start!” He jeered, and Luke interjected.  
“Uh, no. If we are playing this fucked up game, I get to at least start it.” Michael shrugged, and Ashton suspected that Mikey realised who Luke had in mind to dare.

“I dare Michael.” Luke said, not skipping a beat.  
“Hold your horses there, cowboy. I get to pick weather I want to play a Truth or Dare, you know.” Michael countered, before defeating his purpose by saying, “I do wanna pick dare, though.” Calum shot him a look of confusion.

“Well. In return of the dare you challenged me last time…” Luke begun, and held on to his statement for dramatic effect.  
“Oh, get it out, you obnoxious shit.” Ashton said sarcastically as he sat down next to Michael.  
“I dare you to... “ he held on further. Ashton rolled his eyes dramatically. “You know what? I dare you to kiss Ashton.” Luke said, smirking. All the color drained from Michael’s face.

“C’mon, what’s wrong? It’s just a peck.” Ashton said, his smile falling from his face. The look Michael was giving made it look like he was genuinely hurt by Luke’s dare. A few thoughts slipped past Ashton’s mind. _What if Michael didn’t want to kiss him because he was homophobic? Or maybe, Michael just hated Ashton? Or what if… What if Michael was in love with him?_ Ashton let the thought slip away, and grinned, ignoring his inner turmoil.  
“A-Alright.” Michael stuttered.

Ashton looked at him softly, and noticed how close their faces were. “It’s okay.” Ash whispered, and Michael smiled. Ashton felt himself glancing at Michael’s lips, and noticed how chapped they were. This didn’t worry him- he knew that his were just as chapped. If anything, it comforted him. Michael leaned towards Ashton. He slid his lips against Ashton’s with a light push, and Ashton gasped. A shock ran up his spine. He was surprised by how right this felt. Mikey’s hand slipped onto the side of his face, and Ashton kissed back harder.

Calum whistled slowly, and they pulled apart with a jerk. Michael laughed lightly, and Ashton looked down. What the fuck just happened, he thought, wondering if Michael had felt… whatever that was, too. “Well. That was- interesting to watch. You’re up, Mikey.” Calum said, trying to break the awkward atmosphere. Luke’s and Calum’s kiss was a quick peck on the lips, and it left Luke all pissy. and Calum laughing his head off. This, well, was different.

“Uh, Cal, truth or dare?” Michael asked halfheartedly. He was looking everywhere but Ashton, and Ashton noticed right away.  
“Truth.” Calum answered enthusiastically. He was oblivious.  
“Right. Um, Calum, have you ever been in love? Like, honest to god, completely head over heels love?” Michael questioned. He was still avoiding Ashton's stare.

“Oh, yes! In love with Lukey over here!” He bantered, tackling Luke with a huge hug. Luke groaned. Calum had been getting even more enthusiastic with the banter, and Ashton noticed that Luke was basically done with his shit at this point.  
“It’s called truth for a reason, Hood. No escaping it now.” Ashton felt himself say, surprised with his sudden curiosity.

Calum took a deep breath, looking down. “Yeah. There was this one girl, when I was fifteen. She was called Harper. Do you guys remember Harper Wilson?” Calum asked, looking at Luke and Michael.  
“Yeah, you dated her for what, three years?” Luke asked, smirking. “Then she broke up with you via text message. Why was it, again?”

“Oh, I remember this chick! She thought you were too... What was it? Oh yeah, too short!” Michael finished. According to Ash, Michael and Luke seemed to think this was hilarious.  
“Yeah, her. That isn’t actually why she broke up with me, though.” Calum’s voice had slipped into a monotone. He sure as hell wasn’t laughing. “I told her that I loved her. She… she felt indifferent.” Calum’s demeanor had changed completely. He sat with his back drooped and eyes down.

“Calum, I…” Ashton said quietly, not realising what his friend had went through. Well, he thought, this night has started just great. Calum shook his head, a frown etched into his face. “Nah, it’s okay. It was a long time ago. Anyways, Ashton. Truth or dare.”

Ashton panicked. He didn’t want to have to kiss anyone, but he didn’t want to have to tell a heartbreaking love story, either. “Truth.” He muttered, deciding he could just make something up.  
“Alright, Ash. What’s on your mind? You’ve been off ever since the game began.” Calum said, his seemingly depressed manner had fizzled in favor of a much happier one.

“Uh... “ Ash trailed off. _Mikey. Mikey is on my mind. That kiss… I don’t know what to make of it. It felt right, which is strange considering he’s, well, a he. _“I kinda miss the stage. Sounds weird when you say it out loud, but it was a huge transition from small town band to world famous to small town again. It’s hella odd.” Ashton lied, hoping that his acting skills weren’t as bad as he always thought they were.__

“Yeah, I know what you mean, mate.” Michael added quickly, and Luke shrugged.  
“I dunno, I don’t feel that. I missed my Mum and now she’s here, so I don’t have to. I have you guys. I’m all good.” Luke disagreed, and Calum nodded.  
“Yeah, I guess that explains why you two are all boring right now. You’re nostalgic of something that we’ll probably see again. Like, did anyone see the million girls on my front lawn when you walked in? Well, I guess not, since they left when the rain started, but. It’s like they’re mobbing us!” Calum exclaimed, and Luke laughed.

“Yeah, they were on my doorstep at 6 AM this morning. 6 AM! I need my beauty sleep, or how else would I look this awesome?” Luke joked, and Michael and Ashton exchanged a look.  
“I didn’t have anyone at my house...” Ashton murmured.  
“Me neither.” Michael grumbled.  
“Well, you’re not missing out, trust us. Sleep is something I haven’t gotten the pleasure to do in a while. Not like I don’t enjoy their support. I do. But like, support or sleep? It’s a hard question.” Calum said, smiling.

“Speaking of questions, it’s Ashton’s pick for truth or dare!” Luke said, pointing at Ashton with both hands. Ashton rubbed his hands together.  
“Sorry to be a party pooper, mates, but I think the more important question is not ‘speaking of questions,’ but speaking of sleep.’” Michael answered, saving Ashton from having to quickly come up with a dare or truth on the spot.

“Great. I’m exhausted. See you all in the morning for early rehearsal. Now get outta my house!” Calum shouted, as Ashton stood up from where he was sitting next to Mikey.  
“Well. See you all, then.” Ashton said, putting on a fake smile. He realised that he walked here, and sighed. “Hey, Luke. Could I hop a ride?” He questioned. He would ask Michael, but he didn’t quite know where they stood at the moment.  
“Nah, sorry. I’m crashing here. Ask Mikey.” Luke said, falling face first on the couch. Ashton narrowed his eyes at Luke’s strange actions, and Luke flicked him the finger.

“So you need a ride?” Michael asked, with an event edge to his voice.  
“Uh, yeah. Sure.” Ash muttered, waving at Cal and Luke, before walking out the door. Ashton slipped into the passenger seat of the car, and Michael sat into the driver's seat. The silence was deafening.

“That was one fucking intense kiss.” Ashton blurted out, then resisted covering his mouth with his hand. Michael nodded slowly, keeping his eyes on the road.  
“Was it bad intense, or good intense?” He asked, still avoiding Ashton’s gaze. Ashton hesitated. It was definitely good intense.

“Just intense.” He finished casually.  
“Intense enough to do it again?” Michael asked, finally looking at Ashton.  
“I- uh, I mean, I…” He stuttered. _Yes. Definately. In fact, just kiss me right now. I won’t object. _As these thoughts crossed Ashton’s mind, he looked up at the road. A car was speeding towards them at a million miles a minute, and a loud noise filled the air.  
“Michael, look out!”Ashton shouted, as the car screeched to a halt.__

 

The smell of burning tires reached his nose before the actual feeling. In fact, Ashton didn’t feel much at all. He was sort of… numb. All over. His head was against the dashboard, and he was struggling to keep his eyes open. Just as he was about to slip out of consciousness, he looked over at Michael. Through his very slight view of the situation, all of Michael that Ashton could see was blood.

“Mikey…” Ashton mumbled, his eyes sliding shut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is the start of an every Monday posting schedule. I will post a chapter of 1,000-2,000 word chapter once a week, and I promise (that's right, promise) I will update every Monday. Comments are nice, by the way. Just saying.


	3. Chapter 3// Amnesia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everything here is fictional, except the people. They’re real. This story? Not so real. Bo? She isn’t real, either. She’s in a lot of my stories if you want more, though. All events are made up. Character’s opinions are made up, too. Great. Now get reading , you lazy ass.

Ashton woke up in a hospital. He didn’t have one of those moments with the “Where am I? What’s that beeping noise? Why are the walls all white?” In fact, he had been to this hospital before. He was in the Prince Alfred Royal hospital, in the Head and Neck ward. He dived into a swimming pool wrong when he was sixteen, and this was where his mom had took him. He knew exactly why he was here now. The crash.

A nurse stood at the foot of Ashton’s bed. She looked as if she was 19 or 20, and had no idea what she should be doing. “You’re awake…” She stuttered. Ashton raised his eyebrows.  
“No shit, Sherlock. Could you do me a favor and tell me what’s wrong with me?” Ashton barked at the woman, suddenly agitated. “And while you’re at it, mind telling me where Michael is?” 

The nurse looked over the forms at the end of his bed. “Mr. Irwin, you were in a car accident at 11:45 PM last night. You had a minor concussion, as well as a foot injury. You’re probably going to experience some mood swings today, so brace yourself for that. Right after, Melissa Bo Wagner called in, about half an hour after your-” The nurse began, but Ashton cut her off.  
“You mean to tell me that Bo found me? In a car accident? Was she the one who crashed into me? I bet that she was, the little fucker. Can’t drive to save her life.” Ashton said, laughing. Just a moment ago he had been ready to snap someone’s neck… weird. 

“No, sir. She only found you. You were in a hit in run. Now, as I was saying.” The woman began to rant off about all of Ashton’s minor injuries, but he couldn’t care less. He wouldn’t have been brought to this hospital unless there was something seriously wrong with him. So why was he here? Unless… Mikey. _Mikey must have been hurt really badly… shit! ___

“Nurse woman, you didn’t answer my question. Where is Mikey?” He interrupted. The nurse looked at him with a glare.  
“My name is Harper, I’ll have you know. Harper Wilson.” She said. Harper, Ashton thought. Harper Wilson. Where did he hear that name before?

“I’ve been asked to refrain all details of Mr. Clifford’s ward, sir. Please do rest awhile.” She said, restoring her fake grin. Ashton practically had smoke coming out of his ears.  
“My best friend had just been hit with a car. The hospital that he’s in is choosing to refrain all details. Hell, I have a broken foot! I have less reasons to relax than someone in a burning building, for Christ’s sake! Do not tell me to relax!” Ashton roared.

Harper flinched. Ashton rolled his eyes, standing up from the hospital bed. “I just… I want to find him. And weather you like it or not, I will.” he said. Ashton walked right passed her and into the narrow corridor of the hospital.  
“Mr. Irwin- Mr. Irwin, wait! I am afraid I can’t allow you to do that at this time!” Harper shouted after Ashton, but he just kept walking past doors. Door after door after door. In theory, the nurse could’ve caught him. He was limping pretty badly from his ankle injury, and stopping at every door to read the patients’ names. Maybe she was trying to help him. Maybe she wanted to help him find Mikey. 

Once Ashton had exited the head and neck ward, he went straight to the ICU. He only stopped walking when he saw two teenage boys and what looked to be a teenage girl standing outside the door of one room. It had to be them. As he got closer, he could tell that they were indeed Luke, Calum, and Bo. 

“What is wrong?” Ashton shouted, his voice more demanding than questioning. “Tell me what happened to him!”  
“Whoa there, slow down.” Calum said carefully, and Ashton couldn’t help but think that Calum was preparing him for the worst. “They won’t let anyone in but family.”

 

“Bullshit.” Ashton muttered, pushing past his bandmates and Bo. He threw open the door, revealing a single bed with a person sat there, connected to more tubes than Ashton previously thought possible. _That isn’t him. They must have the wrong room, _Ashton thought, in denial. He pulled the clipboard up off the bedside, reading the name. “Michael Gordon Clifford.” Ash murmured. This was really him.__

Ashton sat beside Michael, looking down at his shriveled form. “Severe head trauma, two broken ribs, a compound fracture in the knee-” Ashton read, his face falling. He couldn’t bear to read anymore. Ashton reattached the clipboard to the bottom of the bed with a sigh. “Mikey… What did you ever do to deserve this?” Ash pulled a piece of Michael’s dyed hair out of his face and tucked it behind his ear. The door was opened slowly behind them.

“Hey, Ash.” The voice belonged to Luke. He and Calum entered the room slowly, and Calum shut the door behind them.  
“Did you read the chart?” Calum asked, his voice soft and calm, as if he was talking to a small child. Ashton shrugged.  
“Some of it. I don’t know. It… hurt to much to go on, in a way.” Calum nodded, as if he understood. Ashton wasn’t sure why, but he knew that Calum didn’t.

“So I’m taking you don’t know it yet?” Luke begun slowly. Ashton’s head shot up.  
“Know what?” He asked rapidly, worry quickly seeping its way into his heart.  
“Mikey was hit pretty hard in that crash. It’s a miracle he’s alive. But…” Calum started, his relaxed demeanor faltering. “Luke, I can’t. You tell him.” Luke looked up at Ashton sadly.

“Well, the head trauma caused swelling in the temporal lobe and prefrontal cortex of his brain. He… He contracted a TBI, a- a traumatic brain injury. TBIs- god, this sounds ironic, but- TBIs are the main cause of… amnesia.”

Ashton could’ve sworn that his world stopped.

“It’s not a very rare thing. Lots of people get Retrograde Amnesia. I mean, not many get the Isolated type like he has, and even less recover, but…” Calum started, then looked down. “I’m not really sure where I was going with that, actually.” 

Then Ashton said, “Doesn’t he have to be awake before they can know for sure? Is it just a hoax? What if-” Luke cut him off.  
“He was awake while you were out. They questioned him while they were running tests on the ventilator. Ashton, I’m so sorry.”  
“There’s always hope of a spontaneous recovery, as long as we don’t tell him about his life. When he wakes up, for good this time, we can’t tell him anything about… us.” Calum trailed off. The look on his face was one of bitter defeat, and Ashton was sure his was similar to that. 

“And of course, surgery’s also an option. It’s a little risky, but what about this situation isn't?” Luke murmured, and Ashton sighed, his eyes sliding shut.  
“You guys have to be playing a prank on me.” Ash’s eyes snapped back open. “You are, aren’t you? Or, or maybe, maybe I’m still dreaming! This is all a dream and when I wake up, The Fault in Our Stars will be rolling and then we’ll skip truth or dare and just go home, and none of this will ever have had to happen.” The words slipped out of Ashton’s mouth like a hurricane, and he wasn’t about to slow down. “Michael will wake up and we’ll all be happy and Bo won’t have to see the blood and Mikey won’t be covered in blood, and oh God, the blood!” Ashton shouted, his voice cracking. 

“The nurse said that they’re might be mood swings, but this is horrible.” Ashton heard Calum mutter in Luke’s ear, and Luke nodded.  
“We better just put him down for good.” Ash thought he heard. His vision became spotted, and he tried to stand up. He felt his knees give way underneath him, and as he fell to the ground, his last tangible thought was “Mikey doesn’t remember the kiss.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here you have it- chapter 3. I know, it's Tuesday, but I had reservations yesterday that I managed to forget about. I'll go back to Mondays now. Yeah.


	4. Chapter 4// End Up Here

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everything here is fictional, except the people. They’re real. This story? Not so real. Bo? She isn’t real, either. She’s in a lot of my stories if you want more, though. All events are made up. Character’s opinions are made up, too. Great. Now get reading , you lazy ass.

Ashton woke up in the same room he was in earlier, with the same nurse stood at the foot of his bed. “What happened?” He muttered, and Harper smiled.  
“The shocking information of Mr. Clifford’s status mixed with the mood swings from the accident made you pass out. And on top of that, the doctors think you might be allergic to the pain medicine that you have been administered, so you began to hallucinate.” Ashton moaned, rolling over on the uncomfortable hospital bed.

“Good news, though- he has woken up again. This time for good.” She said, a small smile on her lips. Ashton looked up at her suddenly.  
“I want to see him.” He said bluntly. Harper shook her head.  
“Ashton, I cannot advise seeing Mr. Clifford at the moment, he-” She bgan.  
“His name,” Ashton growled back, “is Michael.”

“Yes, well, I cannot advise seeing Michael at the moment, so-”  
“I don’t give a shit what you can and can’t advise. I’m seeing him.” Ashton stood up, and was tugged back sharply. He then realised that he had a cord attached to his arm, which ran back up to a small bag of clear liquid. Ashton pulled the cord out quickly, with an unchanging face.

For the second time, Ashton felt himself limping around the hospital, looking for Mikey. Room 376A. He thought, recalling the number on the door yesterday. Room 212A, Room 214A, Room 216A… This might take a lot more walking than Ashton originally anticipated.

When he finally did arrive at the room, the door was cracked open. Ashton nudged it with his good foot, and saw Mikey. He was sitting up in the bed, his nintendo DS Lite open to Mario Kart. For a second, Ashton forgot it all.

“Mikey!” He cried, running towards Michael. The younger boy scrunched his eyebrows, looking at Ashton curiously.  
“What the hell, mate.” Michael more so stated then asked. Ashton’s smile faded off his face, and he looked Michael dead in the eye.  
“Mikey, I-” He started. “I’m… I’m sorry. I must have the wrong room.” Ashton reached for the door when he heard Michael’s voice cry out. At this point, Ashton was fighting tears.  
“Wait!”

Ashton turned around to look at Mikey, and Michael smirked. “You know, you’re cute when you blush. We should go to a café sometime, when I get out. What do you say?” Mikey asked, and Ashton swallowed hard.

"What?"

"You and me, stranger. I mean, I'd need your phone number, maybe your name. We could meet up. It'd be cute." What he said then, he had no idea. The words just tumbled out of his mouth like an avalanche.

“Sure. I’d love to.”

 

Ashton cursed himself afterwards, regretting those four words with everything in him. He did want to grab coffee with Mike, but… what if he let something slip? His whole future- and past- with the boy could come tumbling down in an instant. And fuck the kiss, he wanted his best friend back. The teen who’d dye his hair fourteen different colors in a year and scream Green Day lyrics at the top of his lungs as he ran down the hallway. It probably wasn’t too good for his voice, but Ashton couldn’t find it in him to ridicule Mikey. Fun comes in many forms, after all.

As Ashton exited Michael's room, he spotted Calum and Luke, standing down the hall, arguing about something. "I swear to god, Calum! That's her! Harper didn't just reappear a day after you opened up about her by coincidence. It's fate!" Luke shouted, and Calum rolled his eyes. Ashton didn't say anything, not wanting to interrupt. And, if he was honest with himself, he wanted to know what was going on.

"Luke, we have bigger problems to worry about than my old highschool girlfriend. I mean, seriously? Mikey can't remember anything. Ashton's hobbling around on crutches. 'What the hell's going to happen to the band?' would be a better question!" Calum shouted back, irritation in his voice.  
_So that's where I knew Harper from..._ Ashton thought, remembering Calum's talk during Truth or Dare.

"You think I don't know that?" Luke asked, his voice growing soft. Ashton had to lean forward a little to hear what he was saying. "I'm scared shitless, mate. And I don't think I'd be okay at all, had it not been for you and Ash being here. More so you, though, cause Ash has barely uttered a word to me since-" That's when Ashton's crutches chose the absolute worst time to give out.

"Ash?" Calum asked, he and Luke turning towards him. "We're you eavesdropping on us?" Ashton's face froze, not knowing what to say. This is Calum and Luke, he thought, I should just play it cool.  
"Maybe." Ashton said, a small smirk forming on his face. "So, I heard Harper's back, huh?" He asked, trying to seem as if he thought this whole thing was funny.  
"Just... Shut up." Calum muttered, and he turned to walk away. Luke shot a look at Ashton, and Ashton shrugged. He knew he'd been caught red handed.

Both the other boys walked away, leaving Ashton to his thoughts, yet again. He'd been having too much time to think lately. He was normally more of a 'don't think, just do' sort of person, so this week was taking its toll on him more than anyone else. Or so he assumed.

Ashton hobbled back to his room, propping his foot up on the hospital bed. He flicked on the TV, frowning at the lack of channels. He switched it back off and pulled out his phone. “Four missed calls from… Bo?” he read aloud, staring at the device. Bo was not a person to call. She texted, and she texted often. So what could have happened that she called him not once, but four times?

He dialed in her number, and she picked up immediately. “Bo, what’s wrong?” He questioned, worry in his voice.  
“Meet me in the café as soon as you can. I need to talk to you about something.” Before Ashton could ask her what she couldn’t have said on the phone, she hung up.  
“What the heck?” He murmured, climbing up out of the bed and grabbing his crutches.

Once Ashton had finally reached the small cafeteria, he saw Bo, sitting alone, tapping her foot rapidly. She looked upset. “Ashton, hey. We need to talk.” She said quickly, and Ashton pulled out his chair.  
“Yeah, you said that already. What’s up?”  
“Ash, I think I like Luke.” Ashton made a face, his eyes questioning the girl.  
“Yeah, so? You seemed really worried a second ago, and-”  
“No. You don’t understand. I don’t like people. I’ve never liked people. I always sort of thought that I was aromantic or some shit, and I’m currently doubting everything that I thought was true! I don’t know, Ash. I feel lied to.” Bo slammed her face down on the small circular table of the café, and Ashton rolled his eyes.

“Bo, you’re being dramatic. I understand the whole ‘doubting your sexuality’ thing better than anyone, but the world isn’t ending. For me, I had a girlfriend when I was fifteen, and then a year later, I had a boyfriend. Just sort of go with it, and you’ll have a better time. Are we done here?” Ashton questioned, and Bo lifted her head off the table.

“Sorry for being such a bitch, Ash. It was unnecessary.” The air grew silent, and Ashton smiled.  
“Any other questions you have? I’ll readily answer anything, as long as you don’t start crying like a little baby.” Bo stuck her tongue out at him. “See? I knew you had a low level of maturity.”

“Oh, it’s higher than yours, mister bin-lid-around-his-neck.” She accused, and he chuckled.  
“You win this round, Wagner, but don’t expect me to go easy on you next time.” She punched him on the arm, laughing.

About two days later, Ashton was released from the hospital. It turns out that he was allergic to the medication they gave him earlier, but as soon as they discontinued its usage, he was back to normal. The mood swings had vanished, and he wouldn’t have a problem in the world… if it wasn’t for Mikey. His best friend still was undergoing testing, and would be for a while. Ashton stood at the informations desk, arguing with the secretary about the length of Michael’s stay.  
“Yes, but how long is a while? You can’t just say a while. How long will he be in there?” Ashton said, his voice rising.  
“I don’t know, that isn’t my job.” The secretary responded calmly, as if she sees this sort of thing every day.  
_She probably does _, Ashton thought with a grimace.__  
“My best guess is four weeks, from the head trauma and the thing with his ribs. He’s already been in here for a week in a half, so two and half more should do it.” She said, and Ashton ran a hand through his hair.  
“Alright. Thanks.” He muttered, walking away from the desk to go sit with his bandmates.

“That was quite the one sided fight you had with that old woman, Ash.” Calum said, smirking.  
“Oh, can it. It’s been a week and a half, so she thinks he has two and a half to go.” The group fell silent.

“Ash, do you think… do you think that maybe we should talk to him? Like, I know that you've been against that, worried that you’ll accidentally ruin all his memories, but maybe we can give it a shot? Like, what if seeing us will trigger something, and he remembers you? Does that work?” Luke questioned, and Ashton sighed.  
“I may have tried that already..” He said quietly, looking down at the ground.

“I thought we agreed on not doing that. Like, ‘don’t talk to him or he’ll remember.’ That was the deal, and now both of you want to break it? No. That’s not happening.” Calum snapped, staring particularly at Ashton. “What did you say to him?” He asked, his voice still sharp.

“I walked in, remembered how I wasn’t supposed to talk to him, told him that I had the wrong room number, and tried to walk out.” Ashton started.  
“I feel like there’s a but there.” Luke said, looking curiously at Ashton. At least Luke wasn’t mad at him.

“But… he stopped me, telling me that I looked cute and that he wanted to maybe go on a date when he was released.” A blush filled Ashton’s cheeks, and Calum rolled his eyes.  
“Well okay, Prince Charming. You did say no, right?” Calum questioned, and Ashton avoided his glare. “Right?”

“Wrong.” Ashton muttered, and Calum stood up.  
“Great. Just fucking great.” Calum stood up in a huff, exiting the front doors of the hospital. Luke looked nervously between Ashton and the door, and Ashton sighed.  
“Go ahead and follow him, if you must. You’ll know where to find me.” Luke nodded and stood up, walking out to find Calum. Ashton put his head in his hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Turns out that I'm shit at updating on time. Whoops. I'd say that I'm updating Tuesdays now, except that if I say that, I'll end up posting every Wednesday. So yeah, don't expect a lot from me. No one else seems to.


	5. Chapter 5// Lost Boy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everything here is fictional, except the people. They’re real. This story? Not so real. Bo? She isn't real, either. She’s in a lot of my stories if you want more, though. All events are made up. Character’s opinions are made up, too. Great. Now get reading.

The next two and a half weeks were pure hell for Ashton. The weekly movie night had been unspokenly disbanded, and he hardly ever talked to Luke anymore, neverless Calum. The two of them were Michael’s best friends, and Ashton almost felt as if he took Michael away from them. Had it not been for the kiss, Michael would’ve been paying more attention to the road, and they wouldn’t be here in the first place. Had he just said no to Michael’s request to go to coffee, he might have not been in the predicament he was in now. It was all his fault.

He was sitting on his bed, phone in hand. Ashton debated calling Michael, canceling on him, but he realised that Michael didn’t remember Ashton’s phone number. Ash sighed, and typed in Bo’s number. The phone rang a few times and went to voice mail. “Hey, um, this is Bo’s phone, and this is her voicemail…” A deep voice said, one much lower that Bo’s. “Luke! Drop the phone, I- okay, stop tickling me!” Her voice erupted into a fit of giggles, and the phone beeped, signaling for Ashton to talk.

“Guess you and Luke worked out, then. Glad to hear it. I really need to talk to someone, like, right now, so… I guess I just won’t call back.” He hung up his phone with a huff, rolling onto his back. It had felt like he didn’t have anyone to talk to, and he didn’t know weather to go with Michael or not. He weighed his options. Go with Michael, or stay here and wallow in self pity. He closed his eyes, thinking. He had done his research on retrograde amnesia, and was beginning to think that the piece of information Luke and Calum had told him about the memories not coming back was simply another part of his hallucinations. Ashton pulled out his phone again, opening the google app. He quickly typed in “Known causes for retrograde amnesia,” and millions of search options pulled up.

One of the first links he saw was titled “Ask the Patient,” and he tapped it without hesitation. A girl called Molly had asked the Patient the same questions he had -- she was an author, looking for research for her newest story. Ashton read the article, shuddering at the admin’s response.  
“As you know, Retrograde Amnesia is a kind of memory loss, and common after car crashes or other traumatic brain injuries. Retrograde can last as short as a few minutes, to as long as a few years. It very rarely lasts a whole lifetime, despite what fictional books and movies often portray.” Ashton felt a small smile slip over his face, knowing that, one day, Mikey will get his memory back, and he hoped with all his heart that the day would be soon.

He decided to go to the coffee shop after all. He had only spoken to Michael once after he asked him, and that was when they had decided on when and where to meet.

He thought back to that day.

 

It was 11 AM, and Ashton had hesitated outside the door, wondering if this really was such a good idea. He wanted to see Michael, of course, but he couldn’t help but worry about the things that his friends had said that one time, while his hallucinations were heavy. They had claimed that him talking to Michael would worsen the chances of him remembering, but was that really worth never seeing him again? Ashton wasn’t so sure.

“Well, Ashton. Are you just gonna stare, or are you going to come in?” He heard Michael ask, and he smiled. Well, at least Michael made that decision easier. Ashton entered Michael’s hospital room, ready to discuss where and when they were planning this coffee date- or, whatever it was. Despite the aggressiveness in Calum’s tone, he was certain he was doing the right thing. Well, maybe.

“Nice to see you too, Michael.” Ashton chuckled, walking into a clearer location in Michael’s sight. Ashton had already been released of his foot cast, but Michael’s injuries weren’t so quick to heal. He was still being held for one more week, but the amnesia wasn’t something they could hold him for. Had it not been for the broken ribs and the compound fracture in his knee, he would have been released within days.

Michael rolled his eyes, gesturing for Ashton to come closer. Ashton walked into the room, sitting on the cheap chair next to Michael’s bed. Michael’s face scrunched up, and Ashton raised an eyebrow. “Is your daddy a thief?” Michael asked suddenly, and Ashton was taken aback.  
“W-what? Why do you… No, I don’t think so.” Ashton was slightly offended at the question, but mostly confused.  
“Then who stole the sparkle from the stars and put it into your eyes?” Oh. Michael was flirting with him. He couldn’t help but laugh a little.

“What?” Michael asked, laughing slightly, too.  
“Nothing, just… what the hell was that?” Ashton giggled, already feeling that he made the right decision to come.  
“I knew I knew you from somewhere!” Ashton’s laughter ceased, and he was suddenly startled. Did Michael remember him? He really hoped so, cause he… he kinda missed the inside jokes, practicing songs with him, dancing around in the kitchen, and-  
“You’re the boy with the beautiful smile.” Michael concluded. Oh. Yet another pickup line- Ash had gotten his hopes up for nothing.  
“No, that’s you, dumbass.” Ashton retorted, and it was Michael’s turn to chuckle.  
“Thanks, mate. But seriously, though, we should talk coffee times and stuff.” Michael added.

 

Presently, Ashton pulled on a Weezer T-shirt and a pair of black skinny jeans before deciding that he was ready. His bicycle was tethered outside to the street to a street light, and he hopped on, unlocking his bike lock. The coffee shop they had decided to meet at, Gloria Jean’s Coffees, was only a few blocks away, and he felt like he hadn’t been outside in a while. Well, frankly, he hadn’t. He hadn’t left his house since he left the hospital, except to buy milk that one time. The air was warm and inviting, and he felt the slight breeze against his face with a smile.

As he biked up to the coffee shop, he saw Mikey outside the doors playing a game on his phone. He looked up casually, spotting Ashton. Michael smiled then, and Ashton couldn’t help it- his smile was contagious. “Ash! I was hoping you’d show up. I, um… I got you something.” Mikey said eagerly. Ashton tied his bike to the bike rack as Michael held out a small piece of paper. It appeared to be an origami sailboat. Ashton cocked his head slightly, confused at the notion. He still thought it was a cute idea, but just didn’t know why.  
“Thanks, Mikey.” Ashton said, smiling.  
“Do you get it?” Michael asked. Ashton paused, before shaking his head reluctantly. “I ship it.” Michael said winking, as he pulled Ashton into the coffee shop by the hand.

They walked up to the counter, barista staring at them intimidatingly. Before this, Ashton had only been to coffee shops once or twice. He just ordered black coffees, so the long list of names on the board and the grumpy stares the woman at the counter were a little threatening. “I’ll take a grande non-fat mocha, thanks, and he’ll take…” Michael lead, and Ashton sighed.  
“Uh, I’ll have… um, well, I- Ugh.” Ashton trailed off, and the barista rolled her eyes.

“Are you going to order or am I gonna have to call my manager down here to escort you faggots to the door?” She snapped, and Ashton’s face fell.  
“Uh, I’ll order, just-” Ashton started, but Michael interrupted him.  
“Excuse me? He has every right to take as long as he wants here. Its not his fault that your orders are eternally long, and its certainly not right for you to curse at a customer like that.” Michael said confidently, and the barista appeared to be astonished. Mikey then turned to Ashton, his tone suddenly softer. “Ash, have you decided on a coffee yet? It’s okay if you haven’t.” Ashton grinned.  
“I’ll take a small green tea latte, please.” He said, feeling a lot more assertive.

“Whatever.” The barista murmured, and grabbed two cups. “Names?” She drawled.  
“Put down Batman on mine, Hulk on his.” Michael said, putting the money down on the counter. The barista scowled, and Michael grabbed Ashton’s hand again, sitting down at a small table in the back of the near empty coffeehouse.

“Thanks for standing up for me like that, Mike.” Ashton smiled, sitting down across from Michael.  
“Sure. Anything for the boy with the beautiful smile.” Michael joked. His face fell serious suddenly, after that, and Ashton sent him a curious look.  
“Uh, Ash? Do you have a band-aid?” Michael asked. Ashton shook his head.  
“Nah, what for?”  
“Nothing, I just… I scraped my knee falling for you.” Michael said, his worried demeanor disintegrating. Ashton smiled at the ground, trying not to let Michael see his embarrassment.

“An order for Hulk and Batman?” The same barista called, and Ashton grimaced. “Hey, I’ll go get those, if ya want.” Michael offered, and Ashton smiled.  
“Thanks.”

Ashton felt as if he was dropping down the hill on a rollercoaster, the way Mikey was talking to him. The way his stomach flipped to his chest, and his heart was in his throat. He felt disoriented, but giddy, and oddly nervous. He didn’t expect to feel that at all, biking up towards Gloria Jean’s Coffees around eleven in the afternoon, seeing his old best friend whom did not remember him at all. He looked around quietly, lost in thought.

“Uh, Ash? You okay there?” Michael asked, holding the to drinks. Ashton looked up.  
“Yeah. I’m just happy, for some odd reason.” Ashton said, a small smile lingering on his lips.

“Hold, on, I seem to have lost my number. Could I have yours?” Michael asked cheekily, and Ashton rolled his eyes.  
“If you stop flirting so much, then maybe.” He said, as Michael opened the contacts section of his own phone. Mikey’s face drooped suddenly, and Ashton cocked his head.  
“Mike? What’s wrong?”  
“Why is your name already in my phone?” Michael asked, his voice sounding more suspicious than anything.

Ashton sighed, realising what he meant. He should have known that Mikey would have his number- hell, he’d known Michael for years now!  
“Um, I-” Ashton rushed to think of an excuse, something, anything, that seemed even remotely plausible. “I stole your phone at the hospital, plugging in my number.” Ashton tried to say coily, but it came out as more of a weak lie.  
“Bullshit.” Michael read him as well as ever, despite not knowing him at all.

“Mikey, I-”

"Listen. I don't even care how, I just want to know. This is all a little weird for me. Did I know you from somewhere before?"

Ashton froze. He didn't know what to say. Did he tell the truth? Would that mess things up? "Um... no?"

"That's another lie. How about I give you one more chance, third time's the charm.  _How_ do you  _know_ me?"

"Michael, please," Ashton said.

“You know what? Save it.” Michael said, standing up slowly. “I can’t believe I wasted all that time thinking of you. Have you never heard of ‘honesty is the best policy?’” Michael said quietly, and Ashton flinched. He had heard the saying before- Michael used to say it frequently. “You know what? I can ask someone else out. Someone more trustworthy.” He began to walk out of the small coffee house, and before Ashton could turn around to stop him, he spun around sharply. “Oh, yeah. And you’re paying.”  
As he walked out, Ashton looked around the empty coffeeshop, people staring at him from all angles.

Ashton felt crushed. In the end, he only wanted to help Michael, wanted to make him feel less lonely. In the end, all he did was fuck it up even further.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, finally updating on time! I found out a way to update in advance, so I'm technically typing on Sunday. Cool. Thanks for reading, guys! Next part up Monday!


	6. Chapter 6// Everything I Didn't Say

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everything here is fictional, except the people. They’re real. This story? Not so real. Bo? She isn't real, either. She’s in a lot of my stories if you want more, though. All events are made up. Character’s opinions are made up, too. Great. Now get reading , you lazy ass.

It would have been a lie if Ashton had said that everything that could have went wrong that night actually went wrong. The beverages were nice, weather or not the barista spat in them, Michael’s general company was really great to have, in Ashton’s opinion- but the cell phone. The very end bit that Ashton knew- he knew that his number was in Mikey’s phone. He just didn’t think to worry about it.

He biked home in the sunshine, the same wind on his face, with an entirely different attitude. The wind no longer seemed so chipper, but instead, far too warm. He pedaled harder, his only aim to get back to his apartment as fast as he could. He wasn’t sure why, but he was just itching to get home. He missed Luke and Calum. He definitely missed Michael. Hell, he was still waiting on that text from Bo. He screeched the bike to a stop, nearly hitting the curb. He tethered his bike to the light, walking towards his first floor apartment. He threw open the door, only to see Bo sitting on his bed, a frown etched into her face. 

“Asher, I think you may have a problem on your hands.” She said seriously, and Ashton sat next to her on the bed, glaring at her. He wanted to tell her to not call him Asher, but he could care less at the moment.  
“Oh, really? What gave it away?” He joked sarcastically.  
“I don’t know, the messy room, the fact that you barely leave this place, that one angry phone message you left on my cell, etcetera.”

“Why didn’t you pick up?” Ashton asked, falling back onto his bed.  
“I was busy. And if you’d just stop whinging and man up-” Ashton shot her a glare. “Or woman up…” she added hesitantly, and Ashton groaned.  
“Shut up. I’m a fucking dude. It doesn’t matter, anyway. I should be able to whine and mope whatever gender I am.”

It was Bo’s turn to roll her eyes. “Well, then, dude, I should be able to talk to a guy every once and a while without him whining about another boy who, judging by your attitude, rejected you.” Ashton looked at her, not feeling as happy to see her as he usually was.  
“You have Luke, Bo. Just talk to him.” Ashton complained. She sighed and ran a hand through her blue-black hair.  
“Yes. I do have Luke. And frankly, I really, really like him. But you? You’re my best friend, Ash. You make me happy, just in a different way than Luke. And… I’m sorry for not picking up to your call. My cell was dead.” She said, looking down.  
“Alright, I forgive you.” Ashton said, without hesitation. “You know, we should watch a movie. Any good ones your shop has in stock?” Ashton said, and Bo smiled.

“Good to have you back, Ashy.”  
“Don’t call me Ashy.”

 

Bo popped the movie The Purge: Anarchy into Ashton’s old DVD player. Ashton was sitting cross-legged on the couch, a bowl of popcorn in his lap. “The only bad thing about watching movies with Luke is that he really hates all the high-class horror ones.” Bo laughed, sliding on the couch next to Ashton.  
“Speaking of Luke, how is he? I haven’t seen him in, uh, quite a while.” Ashton asked, tossing a handful of popcorn into his mouth.  
“Yeah, he’s good. He and Calum are as close as ever, and Cal says he apologises to you. They all really miss you, Ash.” She turned to face him, and he sighed.  
“If he apologises, he should say it to my face, don’t you think?” Ashton’s face was still glued to the screen, refusing to look at Bo. He missed Luke and Calum like crazy, but he wasn’t ready to admit to that.

“Well, maybe, but they both said they tried to call you, and you didn’t pick up.” Bo said, and Ashton sighed.  
“My cell was dead.” He mimicked Bo’s earlier response, despite the fact that what Bo had just said was an obvious lie. He didn’t pick up to Luke’s call- there was only one- and Calum hadn’t even called in the first place.  
“If you really want to speak to them in person, I could get them to come here. It wouldn’t be that tricky. I’ll just text them right now- they’re probably together, anyways.” Bo stated. Before Ashton could stop her, she speedily typed “meet me @ Asher’s, stat”

Ashton sighed. “I dunno, Bo. I can’t see this ending well.”  
“Chill out, Ashy.” Bo said, jokingly. Ashton threw a pillow at her, and she caught it with a chuckle. 

Luke and Calum arrived a few minutes later, looking disheveled. It might have been a trick of Ashton’s imagination, but they actually looked… worried. The movie continued to roll as Calum walked straight over to Ashton, falling down on the couch next to him.  
“Hey, Ash? I’m really sorry for being such a douche. One of my best friends is suffering pretty badly, and I took my worry out on you, another of my best friends. It wasn’t cool, and… yeah. I’m sorry.” Ashton looked at Calum, slightly shaking his head. 

“Calum. Did you know that Mikey’s my best friend, too? Did you even think that I don’t know, maybe, I blamed myself for this? I thought he wouldn’t wake up, Cal. I thought it would be my fault that he died. My best friend. You have no idea how that feels.” Ashton moved his glare from Calum’s face, trying to watch the movie.  
“Ash, how could you possibly think that was your fault? A car hit him! There’s no other way to see that.” Luke chimed in, and Ashton sighed.  
“Listen, it was my fault. I don’t feel like talking about why, guys. Just drop it. Does anyone want any popcorn?” Ashton tried to change the topic, and Calum batted the popcorn bowl out of Ashton’s offering hand.

“No. I’m not dropping it that easily. What do you mean it was your fault?” Calum’s tone had changed. He sounded pissed.  
“It just was, Calum! Stop picking!” Ashton shot back. Calum didn’t need to know. This was between him and Michael.  
“So it was your fault. You did this to him.” Calum stood up from the couch, looking Ashton dead in the eyes. “You did this.” 

It was Calum that threw the first punch. Ashton was shocked, his hand slowly slipping up to his jaw where Calum had landed the punch. As he slowly felt anger slip into his veins, he stood up, facing Calum. Before he could even account for what was happening, his fist was connecting with Calum’s stomach. Ashton stood there, panting, realisation of what he had just done setting in. “Shit. Cal, man, I’m sorry, oh my god, I-” Calum threw another punch, this one aimed at Ashton’s nose. Ashton felt a shout fall from his throat, and his eyes began to fog up. 

“Calum!” Luke called, reaching behind Calum, holding Cal’s arms to his sides. Luke then flinched, before looking up at Ashton as if he was to receive an award of some sort.  
“What? You want a cookie? You haven’t spoken to me in a month, Luke. A month. You gave me one call- that’s it. You left me alone!” Ashton shouted, the tears threatening to fall. His nose had begun to bleed, and he felt as if he was unravelling. “I just don’t want to be alone.”  
“What, Ash? Do you think that we want to be alone? Is that it? Because it’s not just me that didn’t keep contact. You could have tried to call me, to text me, to come to my house, something! You left us.” Luke murmured, and Ashton laughed dryly.

“Yeah. Alone. Right. It’s not like you had Calum by your side. It’s not like you had Bo in your arms the whole fucking time.” Ashton said, his sarcasm practically dripping from his words.  
“Oh, so that’s it.” Luke said, as if he had had some sort of revelation. Ashton narrowed his eyes. He was pissed with everyone at the moment, and at this point, he just wanted them all to leave his home. “You’re in love with her, aren’t you? You’re in love with Bo.” Luke accused. Ashton laughed.  
“Yeah, okay. Luke, that’s pathetic, even for you. I’m not in love with your girlfriend.”  
“Uh, I’m right here?” Bo said, waving slightly.  
“No, Ashton, I think he’s on to something here. It would explain that she’s the only one you’ve called.” Calum added, and Ashton could tell he was growing suspicious.”  
“Yeah, okay. I’m going to go make popcorn, so… bye. Sort of.” Bo stammered, exiting the room in a rush.  
“See? You must love her, you even managed to make her blush.” Calum stated, his voice rising to a shout.  
“I am NOT in love with Bo.” Ashton denied, shouting back.  
“Bullshit.” Luke argued.  
“Stop it! I’m not. I’m not.” Ashton yelled, and Luke rolled his eyes.

“Then stop lying, Ashton.” Calum continued to vociferate.  
“I’M NOT LYING!” He shouted, falling to the ground. “I couldn’t love Bo if I tried.”  
“And why’s that?” Luke asked, his voice maddening. Ashton felt a tear fall down his face, and he wiped at it wildly. He couldn’t show weakness- not now.  
“It doesn’t matter.” His voice had switched to a quiet monotone, and the other boys seemed to notice.

“Ash?” Calum asked, his voice soft. “Ashton, shit.” Calum sat down next to Ashton, and Luke was quick to follow. “I’ve really messed up, haven’t I?” Calum asked quietly, and Luke nodded.  
“That makes two of us. God, Ash, I’m sorry, and I’m sure Cal here is, too.’ Luke reassured.  
“Thanks, guys. I’m sorry, too. Wow, we’re being a bunch of drama queens, aren’t we?” Ashton joked, and his friends laughed.

“But seriously, why couldn’t you love her? She’s… wow. Her smile, her personality, her… smile.” Luke drowned off, and Calum and Ashton looked at each other with a knowing glance.  
“Mate, you’re smitten.” Calum said, a grin plastered on his face.  
“I’m being serious, Ashton. I want an answer.”

“Well, uh, I’ve got a little confession to make.” Ashton sighed.  
“Yeah?” Luke inquired, and Calum gestured for him to go on. Crap, Ashton thought. I have to tell them, now…  
“The reason I can’t love Bo is because I love someone else.” Bo decided that exact moment to walk in, carrying a steaming bowl of popcorn.  
“Sup?” She asked, throwing a piece at Calum. “You three done fighting?” She asked, and Calum rolled his eyes.  
“Who is it?” Calum asked. Ashton took a deep breath, readying himself to tell the truth.

“Ugh, dammit, I think I’m in love with Michael.”

The room grew silent. The quiet was heart-stilling, and Ashton felt as if he was suffocating. He looked around the room as all eyes were on him. A car rushed by outside, and a bird tweeted outside the window. Sound became amplified as not a word was spoken. 

“You could cut the tension with a knife in here.” Calum tried to joke, and no one responded. After a minute or so of nothing but silence, Luke just turned to Ashton, and, without explanation, just hugged him. Ashton feels the tears once again threaten his vision, and Calum joined in on the hug. Bo rushed over, stretching her arms around the three boys.  
“Group hug.” She muttered into Luke’s shoulder.

“No, not group hug.” Luke murmured back. “Hug circle.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm finally getting a hand of this whole Every Monday thing. Additionally, I haven't got much written past this at the time being, so... we'll see how that works out. Wish me luck.


	7. Chapter 7// Tomorrow Never Dies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everything here is fictional, except the people. They’re real. This story? Not so real. Bo? She isn’t real, either. She’s in a lot of my stories if you want more, though. All events are made up. Character’s opinions are made up, too. Great. Now get reading , you lazy ass.

Had anyone else hugged Ashton for that long, he just might have flipped out on them. But with the boys and Bo, it sort of seemed natural. Bo finally pulled away, and the rest of them followed suit. Ashton grinned at the boys, and watched as Luke flung himself over the arm of of the couch. Calum shouted something indecipherable, hopping over Luke to sit at the other end of the couch. Ash chuckled, sitting down on the chair across the screen. The movie was still rolling, and he turned his attention towards it. Suddenly, a man in a blood covered mask burst out from behind the corner, and the main character screamed. Luke jumped, his face paling.

“Ah, hush it, ya big sissy.” Calum joked, ruffling Luke’s hair. Luke narrowed his eyebrows, and Bo paused the movie.   
“Think we should rewind it to the beginning?” She questioned, and Calum nodded.   
“Yeah, I want to actually form a coherent thought about the plot, not just be scared out of my wits for no reason, thanks.” Luke said, with a completely straight face. Ashton reached over and grabbed the movie remote, holding in the rewind button. 

~

“That movie,” Luke started, staring at the credits rolling across the screen, “was fucking awesome. Horrifying, but awesome.”  
“Yeah, nice choice, Bo.” Cal said, holding a hand up for a high five. Bo apparently didn’t notice, and Calum lowered his hand with a frown. Ashton wasn’t exactly a mind-reader, but he could tell that there was a bit of tension between the two. He still wasn’t quite sure why, but Bo seemed to dislike Cal quite a bit.

Ashton thought the movie was alright, but he wasn’t paying all that much attention. His thoughts had drifted towards Michael, wondering if he would ever keep in contact. So far, things were looking as if he would never see Mikey again.

“Ash, are you alright?” Luke asked, the joyful tone in the room quickly fizzling.   
“Yeah, ‘m fine.” Ashton looked down at his feet. He really didn’t want to talk about it.  
“It’s Mikey, isn’t it?” Calum said, looking at Ashton from his position on the couch. Ashton stayed quiet. Calum nodded. “You know, Ash, you could tell him. About his past, I mean.” he said. Calum seemed genuinely upset about their argument earlier. Ashton nodded. 

“I think you guys should go tell him right now. Why not? It’s not like you don’t know where he lives.” Bo said, and Ashton looked up. The idea of going to find Michael had never crossed his mind.   
“Okay, let’s go.” Ashton said boldly. “Well, I mean, if you guys are alright with that and stuff.” He said, slightly less boldly.

“I’m down. Cal?” Luke asked, and Calum just smiled, standing up.   
“Do you guys mind if I stand back? I don’t wanna intrude on your little crusade here. Plus, like, I think I might just offend you all on accident. I’m not a very… uh… heartwarming person.” She said awkwardly.  
“You don’t say.” Calum murmured, and Luke slapped his shoulder.   
“C’mon, guys. We better get going.” Luke said, and threw a jacket over his shoulders. He leaned over and kissed Bo, and Ashton felt a surge of jealousy. Not of Luke, not of Bo, but instead of the idea of a relationship at all. Had this stupid car crash not happened, that would be him, planting a chaste kiss on Mikey’s lips. 

Luke slid into the passenger seat of Calum’s car, and Calum into the driver’s. Ashton sat alone in the back, staring out the window. “He made me origami.” Ashton muttered, and Luke looked back at him.   
“Huh?”  
“He made me a little origami sailboat. Said that he shipped it.” Ashton chuckled, averting his gaze back to the blonde in front of him. Luke smiled.   
“Yeah, that sounds like Mikey. And I’m guessing that he kept making puns the whole time?” Ashton nodded.  
“Uh-huh. He willingly got into a fight with the barista ‘cause I took too long ordering. She called us fags, but we got our way in the end. She probably spit in our drinks, though.” Ashton sighed. “Man, I just wish that damned car accident could have just been avoided.”

 

“Yeah. Ever since he’s been gone, there’s a disturbing lack of pizza and a strange air of silence.” Luke said.  
“Do you remember that handshake he and I always used to do, when the band first started?” Calum asked, keeping his eyes on the road. “Is it weird that I find myself even missing that?”

“So it’s settled. We are going to convince him that everything's okay, tell him about why he can’t remember, and how he woke up in the hospital.” Luke said, his voice full of determination. “I mean, really, how hard can it be?”

Ashton stood at the door to Michael’s apartment, Calum and Luke stood behind him. Ashton raised his fist to the door to knock, when it was opened out from under his fist. Michael’s face stared back at them. He was stood there in his boxers, looking a bit like a deer caught in the headlights. “Michael, I have some explaining to do.” Ashton said. Calum cleared his throat loudly, and Luke rocked on his heels. “Oh, right. I mean, we have some explaining to do.” Ashton said, not taking his eyes off Michael. 

“Hell you do.” Michael said angrily, slotting his hands on his hips. “What are you hiding, Ashton Irwin?” Michael asked, and Ashton sighed.   
“Tell you what- how about you go get changed quick, and we’ll discuss in a few seconds. Cool?” Ashton asked, worried he might mess something up.  
“Yeah, alright. You get one chance, Irwin. Don’t waste it.” And, just as quickly as he came, Michael was gone.

A few minutes passed, in which the three debated in what ways to make this to go over easily. “I say Ashton just tells him how it happened. I mean, he was there the whole time. Start to finish, The Last Movie Night to the big crash.” Calum said, but Ashton quickly shook his head.  
“There are some things I don’t think he needs to know yet.” He muttered, and Luke nodded.  
“Yeah, Ash is right. Mikey doesn’t need to know about your ex-girlfriend or how I dared him to kiss Ashton or any of that stuff.” Luke said back, looking only at Calum.  
“Why don’t we all work together to explain it? We were all there.” Ashton said, and Calum nodded. “But do we just say, like, ‘Whoop! Sorry we’re intruding, but you have severe amnesia and we’re all your best friends and now you must love us!’? It doesn’t seem… smart.” Ashton continued, shrugging. 

Calum sighed. “I dunno. I say we wing it.”   
“Yeah, I second that.” Luke added.  
“Well, guess all that plan stuff was for nothing.” Ashton said, as the door slid open. Michael stood there, fully dressed in a sleeveless plaid over a Sex Pistols tee shirt, with matching black skinny jeans.   
“Well, don’t just stand there. I’m not gonna make you explain in the hallway.” Michael said, opening the door the full way. Ashton walked past, looking around at Michael’s apartment. Looking at it now, Ashton wouldn’t have even noticed any change. But with the change of everything around them, the lack of change seemed to be an abnormal piece of the situation. 

“Mikey, there was a car accident.” Calum stated, and Ashton flinched. That probably wasn’t the best way to start things. “You were driving, and Ash over here was on shotgun. You smashed into a pickup truck when you weren’t looking at the road, and you hit your head. Hard.”  
“Really hard.” Luke added, and Calum nodded.  
“So hard, that you managed to get whiplash, break a few bones, and even… Mike, you even broke your mind.” 

Ashton squeezed his eyes shut tight. He knew that Luke and Calum were only trying their best, but he could not imagine this ending well. 

“Bullshit.” Michael said, glaring at Calum. “My mind is fine. Are you trying to get me to buy something, is that it? Is this some sort of scam?” Luke shook his head.  
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for them.” Ashton quickly tried to block, pulling on Luke’s arm. Luke didn’t budge.  
“Michael… I’ll prove it to you. I’ve known you for years, uh… Oh! I know, your middle name is Gordon, you used to hate me, um…” Luke trailed off, trying to rant off facts about Michael without accidentally letting anything too personal slip.  
“I can see why.” Mikey mumbled, looking over at Ashton.  
“I really am sorry.” Ashton said again.

“Uh, you’re eighteen,” Luke continued, pretending he didn’t hear Ashton. ‘’your mum and dad are Karen and Daryl, uh… Your hair is different practically every month. You really like Forrest Gump.” Luke added, shrugging.   
“And Dragon Ball Z.” Calum interjected.  
“Yeah. And that.”  
“God, I’m so sorry for them, I-” Ashton said, embarrassment filling his voice.  
“Oh, stop apologising, will you?” Calum said, staring back at Ashton.  
“Sorry.” Ashton murmured habitually, before realising what he had just said.

Michael narrowed his eyes. “You guys sound like fucking stalkers. I’d rather you get out of my house, thanks.” Michael said. Ashton looked over at the boy, then to Luke and Calum. Luke seemed ready to leave, and Ashton definitely felt that they had overstepped a boundary.   
“Okay, Mike. We’re sorry. Maybe we came off a little strong.” Calum apologised, and Luke nodded. “We only want to help.”   
“Yeah, but with what? I’m fine. Please get out.” Mikey said, his voice growing strained. Ashton knew that sound. Michael was about to get really angry, really fast. 

“With us, you know? Help you get sorted and all that.” Luke said. Ashton bit his lip. He really shouldn’t have said that… Michael’s voice broke into a shout.  
“Get me sorted? Listen, the three of you have been a really pleasant visit, but all you’ve done is criticize me and accuse me of having amnesia, and rattling off facts I supposedly don’t know about myself! I don’t believe you, and GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!” He didn’t have to say it twice. Ashton was already walking quickly toward the door, grabbing Calum’s arm as he walked.  
“This was a bad idea. This was a very bad idea.” Ashton muttered, and Calum rolled his eyes.   
“You don’t say?”

“Wait.” It was Luke that said it, his voice confident and not nearly as awkward as before. “I’m not giving up on you that easy, Clifford. I think we should unite in song.” Ashton dropped Calum’s arm, his eyes widening.   
“No. That is not a good idea.” Ashton said, shaking his head rapidly.  
“Why not? It always works in movies. C’mon, guys. Even when the sky is falling down. Even when the Earth is crumbling around my feet…” Luke trailed off, but no one joined in. Ashton kept shaking his head, and Luke shrugged. “Ah well. It was worth a shot. But I’m serious, Michael. We’re not leaving.”

Ashton walked back towards Michael, this time looking him in the eyes.  
“There’s more to the story than just a car crash. It started out on Monday, when I was on the phone with Cal, talking about when and where our weekly movie marathon was…”

From there, Ashton explained the whole thing. How he avoided picking Dragon Ball Z movies to please Calum, how he cried during the Fault and our Stars… and even the kiss. When he explained it to Mikey, he could of sworn he saw Michael’s lips tilt into a small smile, but that could have just been his imagination. Then came the car crash. He described not walking home at ten, instead asking for a car ride. He described what they were talking about when it happened. He even described waking up to Michael’s blood-soaked body lying next to him.

Once he had finished, he felt all three of the boys’ eyes glued to him. His voice was shaky, but his eyes were dry, and his heart far from light. “And I don’t want to loose you, Mikey.” He finished, his voice soft. “I mean, I like you. A lot.” A small smile tickled his lips, and Michael smiled back. His demeanor was far more calm than before, and Ashton was glad for it. He didn’t know if he could stand another second of him yelling at him like that.

“I really like you too, Ash.” Michael responded, and Ashton’s smile spread the whole way across his face, forming into a toothy grin. “And maybe we should give that date another try. What do you say?” Mikey asked, and Ashton nodded happily.  
“I’d love to.”

 

“Now. As much as I enjoyed learning my entire past, I might need some time to let that sink in.” Michael joked, and Ashton chuckled.  
“No, yeah. We understand. Sorry if we came off as dicks earlier, we were really just trying to help.” Luke explained. Mikey nodded, and the boys headed towards the door. Calum extended his hand out for a handshake, and Michael grabbed it. All of a sudden, Calum’s face fell. 

“He remembered.” Calum whispered, his face crinkling in awe. “He remembered our secret handshake.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow I'm so sorry. This chapter was shit, but I was writing it late at night and yeah, I think you get the idea. "I think we should unite in song."? Great line there, me. Leave your thoughts and criticisms in the comments. Thanks.


	8. Chapter 8// Daylight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everything here is fictional, except the people. They’re real. This story? Not so real. Bo? She isn’t real, either. She’s in a lot of my stories if you want more, though. All events are made up. Character’s opinions are made up, too. Great. Now get reading , you lazy ass.

Ashton raised an eyebrow, and he saw Luke flash a face of equal confusion. “What?” Luke asked, his tone disbelieving.  
“That handshake we used to do when we were little! The, uh… this one.” Calum held his hands up in demonstration, tapping his pointer finger to his palm five times, then the ring finger three, followed by the pointer finger three long times and the middle three again. Ashton didn’t exactly know what that meant, but Luke seemed to.  
“That’s morse code, isn’t it?” He asked, his brows narrowing.  
“Yeah. It was how we used to silently communicate- Mikey, how did you remember that?” 

Ashton turned his glance to Michael, who looked even more bewildered than the other three of them combined. “I, um… I’m not really sure. Uh… It just sort of happened, I guess.”Michael stuttered. Ashton faltered, before his face cracked into a huge grin.  
“Well thank god it did, I was getting worried.” He laughed. He looked over to see that Michael was smiling as well. Ashton turned around to face the other boys, where Calum was smirking and Luke… Luke looked worried. “L, you okay?” Ashton said. Luke sighed.  
“Ash, can I talk to you for a second?”Luke muttered, and Ashton nodded, growing slightly worried.  
  
“Sup?” Ashton asked, once they had exited Mikey’s apartment. They stood in the corridor between the rooms, right outside Michael’s door. “Is there something wrong?”  
“I just feel like we should maybe call a doctor or something. I dunno, I just don’t want him getting hurt. What if he remembers only small things, like the handshake, and forgets major milestones in his life? What if he remembers only things Calum did with him? What if… What if he forgets me?” Ashton hesitated, before looking Luke dead in the eyes. Ashton placed a hand on the shoulder of the boy who had grown to become one of his best friends he’d ever had- far closer to a brother than a friend, in fact.  
“Luke. He won’t forget you. You’ve known him since year nine, befriended him in year ten, joined a band with the lad. Hell, no one could ever forget you, Hemmings. It just ain’t happening.” 

Luke smiled at the older boy’s statement, and pulled out his cell phone. “I’m still calling a doctor, though.” Luke said, and Ashton nodded.  
“Yeah, that’s probably for the best.” Luke dialed the number, pressing the speaker button so that Ashton could listen in. 

“Hello? This is the Prince Alfred Royal Hospital, Head and Neck ward. Harper Wilson speaking. How may I help you today?” The woman on the line asked, and Ashton rolled his eyes. It was the same nurse from before.  
“Hey, Harper. It’s Luke.” Luke said, and Ashton heard a sigh on the line.  
“You’re not speaking on behalf of Calum, are you? I’d really rather he speak to me in person.” She retorted, her voice sour.  
“Wh- no. It’s about Michael.” Luke said back.  
“Oh. Okay then. What’s up?” She asked.  
“He’s starting to remember things.” Luke answered.  
“Yeah, but little things. Like the handshake he and Cal used to do when they were little.” Ashton said, continuing Luke’s thought.  
“Hey, Ashton. Good to hear from you again.” Harper said, without a trace of sarcasm. Ashton grimaced.  
“Could you just answer our question?” Ashton said, irritated.

“Okay, well, that’s good news. Do not try to get him to remember things forcefully, they will come on their own. Once one memory comes back, they usually start flooding in. Were there any others, or was the handshake the only one?” Harper said.  
“Just the handshake.” Ash said quickly. His patience was wearing thin, and he knew Calum and Michael would be curious as to where they were by now.  
“Great. Expect more soon, but don’t force it. Just treat him as you usually would.” She finished, her voice joyous and light.

Luke hung up the phone with a frown, looking nervous. Ash patted his shoulder, and Luke smiled an obviously fake smile. They walked back in to Michael’s home, where he and Cal had sat down on the couch. The TV was on, but the look on their faces seemed as if Luke and Ashton had interrupted scheming of some sort. “Where’d you guys go?” Michael asked, and Luke shrugged.  
“I just asked him some of Bo’s favorite things, ‘s all.” Luke said, and Ashton rolled his eyes. _Good cover… _he thought sarcastically.__  
“Luke, what’s wrong?” Calum asked, standing up to face Luke.  
“It’s nothing, I’m fine.” He said, and Calum sighed.  
“You’re not.”  
“It doesn’t matter, Cal, I-”  
“It matters.” Calum said. Not an ounce of irritation lined his voice, which surprised Ashton. Calum was almost always sarcastic. Calum pulled Luke into a hug, and mumbled something in his ear. Luke seemed to ease up almost immediately. Ashton looked over at Michael and cocked an eyebrow, to which in response Michael smirked. As Luke and Calum separated, Ashton felt as if they had overloaded poor Mikey with information.

“Hey, sorry Mike, for being here, like…” Ashton paused to look at his watch. “An hour. We should probably head our separate ways for the night.” Michael shrugged, before saying  
“Yeh, it’s okay. Ash, I’ll text you about that date, which will be Friday. I’m assuming you’re free then?” He asked, and Ashton chuckled.  
“Anything for you, oh great and wise one.” He joked, bowing sarcastically.  
“If you two are done flirting, I’d like to get home and go to sleep.” Calum said, tiredness clear in his voice.  
“Yeah, whatever. See you chumps around.” Mikey said, and that was it. The three other boys filed out of the small apartment, and each headed towards their own homes.

 

Ashton’s phone buzzed on Friday morning, waking him from a dreamless slumber. He slid his hand out from under the bed covers towards the phone, groaning out of grogginess. He slapped the device, pulling it into his cocoon of blankets with him. “1 New Text Message From: Michael Clifford.” It read, and he smiled slightly, sliding to unlock it. 

10:24 AM: _ashhhh wake up we’re leaving in an hour! txt me when you get this ___

Ashton bolted up. In an hour? He tossed the blankets to the side, sliding out of bed. He popped a slice of pizza into the microwave, adding 30 seconds to the timer.

10:35 AM: **Michael, I don’t even know where we’re going! Why are we leaving so god damned early, anyways? ******

Ashton texted Michael back just as the timer rang, and he grabbed the pizza with one hand. He hissed at how hot it was, sliding it back onto the microwave plate.

10:36 AM: _yeah it may be a surprise… just wait and see ___

Ashton groaned, grabbing the now lukewarm pizza. In any other circumstance he would be excited, but Michael literally forgot him, which means he has no idea of any of Ashton’s date preferences. He stuffed the pizza in his mouth, chewing as fast as he could. He still hoped to take a shower, and maybe do his hair. He wouldn't deny it- today, he wanted to look nice. He rushed back to his bedroom, realizing with a groan that he didn't pick out his outfit. He had never been one to spend a long time thinking about clothes, but come on. He could have at least prepared the outfit yesterday. He tossed a sleeveless hoodie on his bed, followed by a pair of dark wash skinny jeans and his fedora. Ashton then dashed over towards the bathroom to take a quick shower.

Ash tried the outfit on in the mirror, deciding whether he liked it or not. In the end, he decided to toss the fedora and go with his glasses, instead. He slid his bracelets up his wrists as he reached for the hairbrush. He wasn't quite done styling his hair when he heard a ring at the doorbell. “Shit.” He murmured, flipping his hair one final time before rushing out to the foyer to see Michael. He was dressed in a white baseball shirt with brown sleeves with skintight khakis. But there was one thing about him that really stood out.

“Michael. Your hair.” Ashton said.. “You’ve started dying it again.”  
“Yeah. I grew sick of it, and it kinda faded, so… It’s red now.” Michael said back, nonchalantly.  
“So where exactly are we going?” Ashton asked, as he put his phone in his back pocket and followed Michael out the door.  
“I told you. It’s a surprise.” Michael said, a slight laugh in his voice.  
“Wait, you’re not going to make me wear a blindfold, are you?” Ashton asked, half-joking.  
“Actually, now that you mention it.” Michael said as they approached the car. He pulled a black bandanna out of the trunk, and Ashton rolled his eyes.  
“You’re ever so dramatic, you know that?” Ash joked, and Mikey nodded, tying the blindfold around Ashton’s eyes, taking off his glasses.

The car ride seemed to last forever, Ashton on the edge of his seat with a mixture of anticipation and worry. On one hand, he couldn't wait to find out just what Michael had in store for him. On the other hand, he didn't want Michael to wind up driving him out to some bar or dance club and they both wind up walking home and getting lost in an alley and some stranger attacks them and they end up back at the hospital and Mikey- well, Ashton was getting ahead of himself. The odds of any of that happening were minuscule, but that didn’t stop how worried he was. The breaks of the car screeched to a halt, and Ashton flinched.

“Why the flinch, A?” Mikey asked, and Ashton smiled.  
“Well, your driving skills don’t exactly have a clean record, now do they?” Ashton joked. Michael playfully punched his arm, and Ashton laughed, adjusting the blindfold slightly.  
“Oi! No looking!” Michael said.  
“Oh, stop. I’m not looking.” He said. All worry of a terrible date fizzled when the car finally stopped.  
“We’re here.” Michael said, and Ashton smiled.  
“Can I take this thing off?” Ashton asked.  
“Not just yet.”

Ashton opened the door, cautiously putting his leg out of the car. He tested the ground, before stepping out with both legs. He felt Michael’s arm against his, leading him in the direction of their location. Ashton felt his face flush at the touch, but he remained silent. They walked only a few feet before Michael's hands reached behind Ashton’s head, untying the blindfold.  
“We’re here.” Mickey said again, pulling the blindfold the entire way off Ashton’s eyes. He handed Ashton his glasses, and Ash took them quickly.

The sun shined bright, making him wince slightly at first. But, after only seconds, Ashton knew exactly where they were.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah. This chapter was originally supposed to be in one part, but I split it in two to add dramatic effect. 
> 
> ADDITIONALLY, this story is now on Wattpad (www.wattpad.com/user/hartrine , then go to works, then to Ironic. Or, if you want, check out my friend's stories, too). It's also on the 5SOS Fanfiction webpage (http://www.5secondsofsummerfanfiction.com/Story/61090/Ironic-A-Mashton-Fanfiction/). So go like it there, too, if you could. It would mean a lot to me.


	9. Chapter 9// Gotta Get Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everything here is fictional, except the people. They’re real. This story? Not so real. Bo? She isn’t real, either. She’s in a lot of my stories if you want more, though. All events are made up. Character’s opinions are made up, too. Great. Now get reading , you lazy ass.

“You took me to the aquarium.” Ashton said quietly, and he could tell that Michael was panicking.  
“Uh, yeah. Is that not good? I mean, I know you somewhat, but, like, I-”  
“You took me to the aquarium!” Ashton shouted, smiling like an idiot. “Ah, man. I love it here.” Ashton had not been to The Sydney Sea Life Aquarium for years. The last time he could actually remember going was over two years before the renovations done in 2008, so he had no idea how it looked now. 

“I… I bought us tickets to Dugong Island as well, the one with all the dugongs.” Michael stated, smiling. Ashton threw an arm around Mikey’s shoulder, and the two of the walked into the aquarium with a shared grin. Michael handed tickets silently to the teller, who took them with a smile. 

Dugong Island was a newer attraction, one Ash had never seen. He walked towards the door that the enclosed the dugongs, and he felt Michael’s hand brush up against his. He took the other boy’s hand, a small smile on his face. Ashton looked above his head, where the dugongs swam about happily. “Did you know that the dugongs used to be considered mermaids, and would lure sailors towards them? Lots of people think it was manatees that did that, and they did, just not as often as these beauties.” Michael said, staring up at the glass ceiling above their heads. This piece of the aquarium was underwater, and dugongs and other small fish surrounded both Ashton and Michael, as well as the other visitors.  
“Looks like someone’s been doing their research.” Ashton said playfully, and Michael laughed.  
“Yeah. I was trying to impress you. Did it work?”  
“Yes, yes it did.” Ashton said, averting his gaze back to Michael. A thousand words swam their way into the front of his mind. Beautiful. Sunshine. Hilarious. Charming. Silly. Heartwarming. Comforting. Honest. Funny. Caring. Loving. Michael Clifford was becoming more than Ashton had ever dreamed of, and yet, he was still nostalgic of the memories his friend could not locate. Ashton sighed, returning his glance to the dugongs. A huge one swam up against that glass, and Ashton laughed.

 

“Hey, look, it’s you!” Ash joked, pointing a finger at the cow shaped face of the animal.  
“Nah, I’m more of an angelfish, I’d say.” Michael bantered along, smiling. 

Overall, the date was an outright success. Dugongs, angelfish, sharks, and manta-rays all passed by, some of which freaking Ashton out, some of which drawing his attention with beautiful colors and imaginative displays. But the thing Ashton enjoyed most was Michael. Mikey was absolutely gobsmacked by the clownfish, shouting something about Nemo. Ashton had grinned at that, noticing the small increase in Michael’s memory. Mikey continued the cheesy pickup lines, this time using both “Do you have a map? ‘Cause I keep getting lost in your eyes.” and “What’s that in your eye? It must be a twinkle.” Ashton knew these were cheesy beyond belief, but he found them to be endearing. 

He and Mikey were walking out to the car after exiting the aquarium, and Ashton was laughing at Michael’s most recent line, “Your lips look so lonely. Would they like to meet mine?”, when two girls tapped Michael on the shoulder, both beaming.  
“Hi, are you Michael Clifford and Ashton Irwin?” The first girl asked, and Michael narrowed his eyebrows.  
“Ugh, Di, it’s obvious that they are, don’t ask useless questions.” The shorter girl said, rolling her eyes.  
“Well, anyway, my friend Shelby is a huge fan of your band, but was too scared to ask for a photo. So here I am, being a great person, and facing her biggest fear for her. She really wants a photo. Is that okay with you two?” She continued. Michael leaned over towards Ashton, and whispered into his ear.  
“Ash, how do they know our names?”  
“Yeah, uh, we may be in a world famous band that I neglected to mention…” Ashton whispered back. Michael paused, before his face lit up.  
“That’s really cool. Like, really cool. Are we as good as Blink?” He whispered, and Ashton chuckled.

“Yeah, we’d love to take a picture with you young ladies. Any particular pose you’d like?” Ashton asked in response, to which the taller girl, Di, Ashton had overheard, immediately answered.  
“Can we do a selfie like Ellen did at the Oscars? That was super cool.”  
“Sure. Anything for a fan.” Michael said, and Ashton smiled. All four of them squeezed behind the shorter girl, Shelby’s phone, and smiled brightly. Shelby snapped the picture, and then she looked down at her phone, starstruck.  
“Thank you guys, very much. The four of you helped me through some tough times, ya know?” Shelby said. Ashton nodded, and Michael leaned down to take the girl’s hand.  
“Hey. It’s alright. Whatever happens, just roll with the punches and know that it gets better.” Michael said. Shelby grinned.  
“Thank you.” She said, before her friend dragged her off. Michael took back Ashton’s hand.

“That was awesome.” Michael said, once they reentered the car. Ashton was sat once again in the passenger seat, and Michael in the driver’s. Ashton held his hand up for a high five, which Michael gladly accepted.  
“I know. And it happens a shit ton.” Ashton responded. “Cal and Luke usually have people gathered around their homes while they sleep, which is kind of odd. We don’t really have that as much, but you know. Whatever.” Ashton said. His tone was a little disappointed, but Michael didn’t seem to notice. 

“Teenage Dirtbag.” Michael said suddenly, and Ashton glanced his way, concerned.  
“What?”  
“Teenage Dirtbag. It was the first song you sang with us.” He said, and Ashton paused.  
“You remembered?” Ashton asked, and Michael rolled his eyes.  
“No, I googled it.” Michael said sarcastically. “Of course I remembered.” Michael began to back the car out of the parking lot, and Ashton smiled softly, eyes trained on the boy to his right. 

“You keep remembering old memories.” Ashton said, more so thinking aloud then speaking directly to Mikey.  
“And we keep making new ones.” Michael retorted happily.

They arrived at Ashton’s apartment roughly ten minutes later. The car ride had been far from awkward silences, filled with loud Green Day music that the two of them sang along to. While Michael didn’t know all the words, he improvised goofy lyrics to fill in the spaces inbetween.

Once they walked anywhere near Ashton’s first floor apartment, they heard it. Shouting filled the walls, the noise of an argument. Ashton could hear a woman and a man’s voice, and some choice words being recited. He assumed that it was one of the neighbors, and knew not to intrude. It was only when he went to open his door, only to realise that it was unlocked, that he noticed that the sound was coming from the inside. 

“Michael. Who is in my flat?” Ashton asked, trying to remain calm.  
“I have no idea. Should we quick open the door and dash in, maybe try to scare ‘em off?” Michael asked back, and Ashton nodded.  
“Yeah, okay. On the count of three. One… Three!” Ashton shouted. The two boys slammed the door open, standing in a defensive position. There, in Ashton’s living room, stood Bo and Luke, each shouting over the noise. They appeared to not have even noticed Ashton and Michael, and continued arguing.

“Yeah, okay, but YOU said that he wouldn’t be there. You said that we’d finally get some alone time, but no. He’s always there. What if I want it to just be us, huh?” Bo shouted, regarding Luke with ferocity. Her tone was accusing.  
“He’s my friend, Bo! I’ve known him since, like, forever, which is sure as hell longer than I’ve known you. And I can safely say that I love Calum, which is more than I can really say about you right now.” Luke said back, his fists clenched at his sides. Ashton looked at Michael with worry.

“We should probably leave.” He whispered, to which Michael nodded. They slowly closed the door, exiting much quieter than they came. “I just don’t get it, though. Why are they having a domestic in my apartment? Like, Luke has a place.” Ashton muttered once they were in the hallway, and Michael shrugged.  
“Yeah, but, didn’t you say that Luke’s place always got mobbed? I’d kinda hate to have a private fight like that in front of all them.” Michael said, and Ashton cocked his head, as if debating. In truth, he knew Mikey was right- while Ashton couldn’t imagine starting a fight with Michael, he knew he’d want to do it out of public eye.  
“What were they even fighting about, anyways? Seems kind of important, for them to carry it all the way to another person’s house.” Ashton said. By this point, they had reached the lobby doors. Ashton pushed them open, letting Michael through. Mikey smiled.  
“Thanks. And, um, I think they were fighting about Calum. Something about him third wheeling.” Michael said, and Ashton nodded.  
“Yeah, I could see that happening. And even more, I could see Bo reacting negatively to that. She’s a bit touchy.” Ashton said. Michael nodded, and the conversation was dead.

“So. We’re in a world famous band, huh?” Michael asked, and Ashton nodded.  
“5 Seconds of Summer, we call ourselves. You came up with it.”  
“Hmm. 5 Seconds of Summer. Seems kind of… long.”  
“5SOS for short. Hey, how about we go back to your place, I can re-teach you some songs. Well, I mean, if you want. You don’t have to.” Ashton said, and Michael smiled.

“Ashton, I would be honored.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay. I don't really have anything to say this week, so yeah. Cool.


	10. Chapter 10// Out Of My Limit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everything here is fictional, except the people. They’re real. This story? Not so real. Bo? She isn’t real, either. She’s in a lot of my stories if you want more, though. All events are made up. Character’s opinions are made up, too. Great. Now get reading , you lazy ass.

Ashton strummed one of Michael’s many guitars with curiosity. He knew how to play a few of their songs, but Michael had always been better than him. Well, Ashton thought, until now. Mikey stood near the wall of guitars, awkwardly holding one by the neck. “Ash, I have no idea how this works.” Ashton held back a laugh. Looking there at Michael, holding his favorite guitar, which he normally barely let Ashton touch, with such disregard- it was funny. In a twisted, amnesiac sort of way.  
“Yeah, well. That is what I’m here to show you, isn’t it? Let’s start off with a few simple chords, like… the A chord.” Ashton strummed the chord as Michael sat down on the couch across from him. Michael mimicked Ashton’s way of holding the guitar, and then held his fingers down on the correct frets. He strummed hesitantly, and the exact pitch as Ashton’s filled the room.

“Nice! I didn’t even have to show you what frets to hold, you just got it.” Ashton said. Michael smiled bashfully in response.  
“Yeah, yeah. Just play another one, would you?” He said jokingly, and Ashton laughed. Ash then strummed the D chord, and Michael once again imitated the sound perfectly. Ashton smiled. Michael was really getting his memory back. While Ashton had no idea how long it would take for Michael to finally restore his memory in full, he was just glad that it was working now.  
“Alright, that was D chord, then this is E chord.” He strummed another pattern, to which Michael played back.

“Believe it or not, Mike, those are the the only chords to our first song, Out of My Limit. Do you maybe wanna try playing them while I maybe… sing or something? I mean, Luke and Cal usually do most of the singing, but I could give it a shot.”Ashton said.  
“Yeah, sure. No promises on accuracy, though.” Michael said in return. 

And with that, they played through the entirety of the song, Ashton messing up the lyrics and Michael messing up the guitar part. They were both bursting with laughter by the time the music stopped, and Ashton couldn’t help but think of all the times that Michael used to purposely mess up the lyrics on stage, during their past tour. The thought of Michael before that accident dropped his smile as fast as he could’ve imagined.

“We have a song called Amnesia, you know.” Ashton said, suddenly very interested on gluing his eyes to the guitar. He didn’t want Michael to see the look of disappointment he carried.  
“You’re kidding. Did you write it about me, when I was in the hospital?”Michael asked in response, and Ashton shook his head.  
“Nope, just a really sad coincidence, I guess.” Ashton said, the happy feeling he had harvested only moments ago fizzled. “Even better, it’s basically our hit single. We won an MTV Award for the lyric video, and the song’s basically what drove us into America in the first place. That and touring with One Direction.”

Michael’s face fell. “We toured with One Direction? But why?” Mikey asked, and Ashton laughed. “Hey, I like their music! They watched our YouTube videos, and just asked us to tour with them. It was actually kinda cool.” Ashton retorted.  
“It would’ve been cool had it been All Time Low or something, but One DIrection?” Michael asked, and Ashton rolled his eyes, smiling.  
“Okay, whatever. Do you want to learn Amnesia or not?” Michael shrugged in response, keeping his eyes on Ashton’s guitar as he played the chord progression.

“Alright, I think I have it. Should we play it like last time?” Mikey asked, and Ashton shook his head.  
“How about I show you the chorus, too? You could sing that, and I could do the verse.That sound good?” Ashton asked.  
“Yeah, sure. How’s it go?” Michael said back.  
“Uh… I wish that I could wake up with Amnesia, and forget about the stupid little things. Like the way it felt to fall asleep next to you, and all the memories I never can escape. ‘Cause I’m not fine at all.” Ashton sang.

“Well of course the singer isn’t fine, they actually want to wake up with Amnesia. There is literally no knowledge of waking up with amnesia here, is there?” Michael said grumpily, and Ashton smiled softly.  
“Yeah, well. Cut them some slack. They needed a song topic, and breakups can be sad, and… yeah. That’s really all I’ve got.” Ashton trailed off, and he saw Mikey grin at him from the corner of his eye.  
“Yeah, well the fact that you’re singing it makes it better. Has anyone ever told you that you have the voice of an angel?” Michael said, and Ashton laughed, playfully punching him on the shoulder.  
“Just play the chords, doofus.”

Michael strummed the intro, and Ashton played the bass part on the acoustic guitar he held. It sounded a little off, but it was close enough. “I drove by all the places we used to hang out getting wasted/I thought about our last kiss, how it felt the way you tasted/And even though your friends tell me you're doing fine/Are you somewhere feeling lonely even though he's right beside you?/When he says those words that hurt you, do you read the ones I wrote you?/  
Sometimes I start to wonder, was it just a lie?/If what we had was real, how could you be fine?/  
'Cause I'm not fine at all.” Ashton sang calmly, focusing more so on the guitar in front of him. Michael had played every chord correctly, and Ashton was impressed. It had taken Ashton a week or so to learn the drum part--he often played during the acoustic songs by accident-- and here Michael was, mastering it in minutes. 

“I remember the day you told me you were leaving/I remember the make-up running down your face./And the dreams you left behind you didn't need them,/Like every single wish we ever made./I wish that I could wake up with amnesia,/And forget about the stupid little things./Like the way it felt to fall asleep next to you,/And the memories I never can escape./'Cause I'm not fine at all.” Michael sang, his voice calm and nostalgic. Ashton smiled a sad smile, wishing that Michael could remember. Wishing that Michael could be happy.

They played through the rest of the song, the final chord playing in perfect harmony. Ashton looked over at Michael in the renewed silence of the apartment, and Michael's eyes looked up to meet his. Ashton gently set his guitar on the coffee table across from them, and then he did it. Again. He kissed Michael Clifford.

They both sat there in the moment afterwards, grinning like idiots. “Was… was that our first kiss?” Michael asked, and Ashton hesitated.  
“It was the first one that counted, yeah.” Ashton said, and Michael picked back up his guitar.  
“So how often do you guys song write?” Mikey asked, and Ash smiled.  
“Often, often. Just whenever we feel like it, really. We usually break off into pairs and write, like, a lot all at once. It’s a great pastime.” Michael nodded.  
“Wait, you said pairs. Have we ever written one of them, like, just us?” Michael said.  
“Sure, loads. Good Girls, um, End Up Here, English Love Affair and a few others. Do you wanna try writing something now?” Ashton asked. Michael smiled.  
“How about something about, like, this guy who likes a girl and won’t say it, but sort of… says that he’s got a ‘friend,’ but the friend’s really him.” Michael stuttered out, and Ashton laughed.

“We have a song like that already. It’s called I’ve Got This Friend, and isn’t all that popular, but, yeah.” Ashton said.  
“Oh. Cool. Alright, how about a song that sort of compares bad relationships to bad movies? And we could call it-” Michael started.  
“Heartache on the Big Screen. That was on our She Looks So Perfect EP.” Ash interrupted.  
“Right. A song about… loving an older girl, but having to wait until you’re older.” Michael said. Ashton could tell he was growing frustrated.  
“Sorry, but we have a song called 18 that’s a little like that. Also Try Hard.” Ashton said.  
“Uh-huh. Um, I dunno, a song about underwear.” Mikey bursted, flopping back on the couch angrily.

“Believe it or not, we have one about that, too.” Ashton muttered, and Michael groaned. He pouted his lower lip, clearly out of any ideas he once had. “Ah quit pouting, ya dork.” Ashton said, leaning over to kiss him once again.  
“Two kisses in one day? I’m clearly doing something right.” Michael joked.  
“You know you are.” Ashton responded, kissing him again.Only, when he tried to pull back from this one Michael held on. And Ashton certainly wasn’t complaining.

Ashton breathed heavily, nodding his head impossibly closer to Michael’s. The kiss was warm and heartfelt, stringing out all the tension brought on by the past few weeks. The background noises faded, and all Ashton could think was Michael. Any lingering thought of songwriting was forgotten as Michael pressed his hand against Ashton’s neck. Ashton felt Michael smile into the kiss, and Ashton kissed back slightly. 

“GUYS! It's Luke and Bo, they… there’s something wrong, and I need help and-” Michael and Ashton jumped apart as they saw Calum standing in the doorway to Michael’s apartment, panting from what appeared to be running.  
“Mate, what the hell.” Michael said more so than asked, and Ashton could tell he was disappointed. Ashton leaned over towards Michael's ear, and began to whisper.  
“We’ll continue, stop grumpin’.”

A blush filled Michael’s cheeks. Ashton looked up as Calum began to pace, muttering profanities under his breath. “C-Calum. Okay. You need to calm down.” Michael said, standing to help his forgotten friend. Calum sighed, flopping down on the couch opposite where Ashton still sat.  
“I fucked up, guys. I fucked up.” He said quietly, running his hands through his hair. His hand was repeatedly tapping on his knee, and his glance was darting around like wild.  
“Hey, hey. It’s gonna be alright. This is about Bo and Luke’s fight, isn’t it?” Ashton said, his voice steady. He was worried at how anxious Calum was acting, but tried to hide it for Cal’s sake. The cause of the fight was still unknown to Ashton.

“Uh-huh. Yeah. Well, Bo’s, Luke’s, and my fight. I started it.” Calum grabbed the nearest pillow subconsciously, pulling his knees up on the couch.  
“Watch the shoes on the chair, or- you know what? Nevermind.” Michael muttered, shaking his head.  
“Could we maybe get a backstory of some sort?” Ashton asked, squaring his shoulders. 

“Sure, whatever.” Calum said, holding the pillow closer. “Bo’s never really liked me, I know that. I never really liked her, either. And I had no idea why she hated me so much, right? And… I asked her. Which was beyond stupid, but whatever. So then she flipped out, saying shit like ‘I think you know why.’ and ‘I have every reason to, Calum Hood.’ and I didn’t know what to do. Hell, I have no idea what I did wrong. This was right after you two left, and then she went to grab her phone at Ash’s, cause she left it there or something. And she yelled at me again, in front of Luke this time, and Luke flipped out. I dunno. It was all a little strange.” He ranted, ringing his hands.

“I can’t believe Bo could do that.” Michael said quietly, and Ashton shrugged.  
“I mean, she’s not exactly a very nice person, but I doubt she’d pick a fight like that. It’s probably a misunderstanding or somethin’.” Ashton replied, hopeful. He was slightly worried that she actually was as cold hearted as Calum had described.  
“And then I fled. Ran like the wind. I dunno, I just don’t want Luke getting hurt. What if he decides to go with Bo, and like, what if he leaves the band? What if he decides that he hates me all of a sudden? What if… What if he abandons me?” Calum asked quietly, and Ashton immediately thought of the conversation he had with Luke about Michael only the day before. 

“Calum Thomas Hood. From what it seems to me, you boys are inseparable. How long have you known him, anyway?” Michael asked, to which Calum responded quietly.  
“Basically since year ten, although I’d seen him around a lot before that.”  
“See? You’ve known him forever. I bet that boy would do anything for you, and you just need to let yourself see that. Now chill out, mate. I know, we should head over to Ash’s place to face the inevitable drama of a teenage couple’s first fight. Whatever it takes to keep you from moping.” Michael stood up, and Ashton smiled. The way Mikey handled that was impressive to Ashton, and he noted to himself that Michael had a fantastic way with words.

~

Approaching Ashton’s apartment, it seemed as if nothing was wrong. But the closer they got, they group of three began to realise that the shouts from earlier were even louder now. Ashton cautiously opened his door, and the sound of a glass plate breaking filled his ears. “Katniss, that’s mahogany!” He said playfully, trying to lighten the situation. Judging by the glares that Bo and Luke shot him, (they seemed to notice him this time,) it wasn’t working. Michael followed Ashton through the door, but when Calum entered, there was no stopping Bo.

“Don’t you come another step closer. I knew, you know. I always knew.” She scowled at Calum, and he narrowed his eyes.  
“You couldn’t have possibly known! It was the best kept secret I’ve ever had to keep. Unless you read my fucking diary, which, oh yeah! I don’t fucking have.” Calum shouted back.  
“Bo.” Luke said, his tone suddenly soft. “You knew what?”

Calum’s face fell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I nearly forgot this time-- sorry, guys. But hey. It's 9:00 PM on Monday, so I still technically made it. Keep commenting, leaving kudos, and bookmarking, guys! Love you!


	11. Chapter 11//Heartbreak Girl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everything here is fictional, except the people. They’re real. This story? Not so real. Bo? She isn’t real, either. She’s in a lot of my stories if you want more, though. All events are made up. Character’s opinions are made up, too. Great. Now get reading , you lazy ass.

Ashton could’ve sworn that he saw Calum mouth the word ‘please.’ Bo’s hands were balled at her sides as she stared Calum down, her gaze unwavering. Calum looked down, his face resembling that of a kicked puppy. Bo huffed, and stormed out of the apartment, leaving the four boys staring at her with confusion. “Girls, am I right?’ Michael snickered. Luke sent him a death glare, before chasing after Bo, slamming the door behind him.

Ashton stood as the air of the room grew awkward. Their only goal of going back to his place was to break up the fight, but they only moved it. Calum fell back on Ashton’s couch with a groan. Michael began twiddling his thumbs, and Ashton looked up at the other two boys with a shrug. “Yes, and how about that weather?” Ashton said jokingly, mocking the overused conversation topic. Michael smiled, but Calum just groaned again.

“And when the phone call finally ends/You say ‘Thanks for being a friend’/ And I’m stuck in the friendzone Again and Again…” The song raged out of nowhere, making Michael jump.  
“Sorry, uh… it’s my phone.” Calum said, pulling the iPhone out of his back pocket.  
“Is that us, playing?” Michael asked Ashton quietly, to which Ashton nodded. Michael fist pumped, grinning.

“Wow, it’s Harper. I’ve gotta take this.” Calum said, standing to speak somewhere more private. Ashton glanced at Michael, who smirked. Michael looked both ways, before turning to Ashton.  
“We are gonna eavesdrop, right?” Michael whispered, and Ashton winked. They both stood silently, tip-toeing towards the kitchen where Calum stood, the phone to his ear.

Ashton sunk behind the counter, and saw Michael do the same next to him. Ashton noted to himself that this was the second time within the past month or so that he had eavesdropped on Calum, who was talking about Harper. He held in a laugh as Mikey held a finger to Ashton’s lips.

“Hey, Cal. It’s Harper. How are you?” A voice came through the speaker, barely audible to Ashton, but loud enough that he could hear well enough.  
“‘m fine, you?” Calum said, sitting down on one of the kitchen chairs.  
“Good, yeah. I was wondering if maybe we could go for a drink sometime, you know, you and me… a little date?” She asked, and Calum bit his lip, his eyebrows falling.  
“Listen, Harper. We were close- really close. But, like, you totally shot me down. How can I be sure you won’t do it again?” He asked. Ashton could tell he was choosing his words carefully, almost as if he were walking on thin ice.

“Do you really have that little trust in me? I kind of thought that, you know, you’d gotten over that. We were young, after all. Calum, three years really changes a person.” She said.  
“I don’t know. Harper, I don’t… I just… I like someone else.” Calum blurted out, and there was a long pause on the other line.  
“I’m really sorry, Harper.”  
“I’m sorry, too, Calum.” The phone line went dead.

Calum slid his phone back in his pocket with a huff, and Ashton’s eyes widened. He realised that he and Michael were cornered back here, and needed a hasty escape. He waved his hand in front of Michael’s face, and then jerked his head in Calum’s direction. Michael seemed puzzled at first, but then nodded, gesturing for Ashton to follow him. They began crawling across the kitchen floor. Any false movement could give them away, any loud noises and-

“What the hell are you guys doing?” Calum asked, amused.  
“Cleaning the, uh, floor.” Ashton said, looking up slowly. They’d been caught.  
“Yeah. Sure.” Calum said, laughing. “It’s not like I care if you heard that, it’s just that I like to walk around while I’m talking on the phone. So stop sneaking, you twats.”  
“Oh. Good.” Ashton said, standing up. “Guess we were crawling around on the floor for nothing, then.”  
“Yeah.”

“So who’s the lucky girl, hmm?” Michael asked once they were all back out in the lounge. Ashton was planning on asking the same thing, but Mikey beat him to it. Calum hung his head low, his eyes on his shoes.  
“Not telling.” He said quietly, and Ashton smiled.  
“Aww, you dork.” Michael said.

“Hopefully she’s nicer than Harper.” Ashton said, and Calum rolled his eyes.  
“Oh, knock it off, Ash. You met the girl in the hospital, you’re not going to like her straight away.” Calum said.  
“Yeah, well. I re-met Ash in a hospital, and I liked him straight away.” Michael argued, and Calum laughed.  
“Clifford, there was nothing straight about it.” Calum said. Mikey threw a pillow at him, and Cal tossed it back.  
“Pillow Fight!” Ashton shouted, grabbing a third pillow and launching it at Michael’s face.

The three of them romped around Ashton’s apartment, launching pillows and jumping over furniture. Ashton narrowly avoided a round throw pillow tossed his way by Michael, and grabbed it quickly, launching it at Calum. Calum backed up, prepared to catch the pillow, before a loud shriek was heard. Calum had backed into the broken glass of the plate that Bo had thrown earlier. 

“Shit, mate. You alright?” Michael asked, dropping the pillow that he carried.  
“Yeah, yeah. ‘m fine. Sorry about the overreaction.” Calum said, limping to sit on the couch. He stared down at the blood squishing from his foot, and Ashton’s stomach churned.  
“Overreaction? Dude. You have glass, like, in your foot.” Ashton said, sitting down next to him.  
“Oh, gee. I didn’t notice.” Calum said, laughing despite the pain.  
“Do we need to go to the hospital again?” Michael asked, and Cal shook his head.  
“Nah, I’m fine. Ash, do you happen to have band-aids or something?” he asked.

“Uh, yeah. Just give me a second.” Ashton said, standing to go towards the restroom, where his medical supplies rested. He pulled out the bottom drawer, leafing through to find bandages and antiseptic. When he came back to the lounge, though, Calum was still clutching his foot, and Michael wore a blank stare. “Hey, Mike? What’s wrong?” Ashton asked, and Michael looked up suddenly.  
“You had appendicitis. Our band was on tour, which is awesome by the way, and you had appendicitis. You were afraid to tell us, ‘cause you knew we’d cancel the shows, but… as long as you’re okay.You’re better now, right?” Michael said.  
“Of course I’m fine. The surgery went seamlessly. But I think what we need to worry about right now is Cal.”Ashton said, and Michael nodded.

“Seriously, guys. I’m fine.” Calum said. He had already removed the glass shards, and held his hands up for Ashton to give him the medical stuff. Ashton complied, and Calum wiped the blood out of his cut. Ashton made a face.  
“Not a big fan of blood, then?” Michael asked, regarding Ashton's reaction.  
“No.” Ashton said, turning his head.

While Ashton decided to clean up the broken glass, Calum dressed his wound in record time. Calum stretched his leg, and looked at the boys. “I’m starving. We need pizza.” Calum said curtly.  
“Well then order, dumbass.” Ashton replied,  
“No, I wanna go out. We should call Luke.” Calum said, and Michael rolled his eyes.  
“Well then call Luke, dumbass.” Michael mocked Ashton, and Ashton laughed.  
“Fine. Dumbasses.” Calum muttered jokingly, pulling out his iPhone.

They ended up going to Pizza Hut. Calum, Michael, and Ashton all piled into a booth, awaiting Luke’s arrival. “But I’m worried, though. What if he hates me? I bet Bo told him… Dammit, I’m a horrible person.” Calum sighed, slamming his head on the table.  
“Dude, stop. You’re a great guy, and you have thousands of fans. Calm down.” Michael said, sounding exhausted.  
“And what would Bo tell Luke? Did you insult her? Did you fart and then laugh about it? Did you… murder a guy?” Ashton asked, and Calum laughed.  
“Wha, no! I, uh. Do you remember when I told Harper that I was in love with someone else? Well. It takes a lot of confidence to say this, so don’t hate me, but that person is-”

“Hey, guys.” Luke called from across the aisle, sliding onto the seat next to Calum and across from Ashton. “Hey.” Calum said, worry obvious in his voice. When he didn’t finish his sentence from earlier, Ashton resisted the urge to tell him to finish. He knew that Calum didn’t want Luke to know who the person was, and knew that there must be good reason for that. Right?

“Listen, Luke. I’m sorry.” Calum said, and Luke smiled smalley.  
“What for?” Luke asked. Calum cocked an eyebrow, before realisation struck his features.  
“You mean…” Calum started, trailing off.  
“Yeah. Fights happen, man. I just want some good pizza.” Luke said, shrugging. Calum beamed, looking down at his shoes. Ashton smirked. 

The pizza arrived, and the boys all happily tucked in. Ashton, on the other hand, was pulling the wrinkled olives off of his everything-pizza, grimacing at the vegetable. “Why do you even hate them so much?” Luke asked, mouth full, as Ashton pushed the plate full of olives away from himself.  
“They’re smelly. The texture is shit. I don’t know why anyone sane would like the things.” Ashton said.  
“I like them.” Michael said defensively.  
“I did say anyone sane, didn’t I?” Ashton asked, wrapping his arm around Michael’s shoulder. Michael chuckled.

“I say we have a band practice the day after tomorrow. We could teach Mike over here some of the songs he can’t remember, and the rest of us could get some well needed training for when we go back on tour in a few months.” Calum said, folding his arms.  
“Why not tomorrow?” Luke asked.  
“I told my mom I’d help her with chores and stuff.” Calum said.  
“Well, I’m in.” Luke said.  
“Yeah, me, too.” Michael chimed in.  
“Of course.” Ashton said, smiling. Ashton felt as if his band was truly falling back together, even after the Last Movie Night’s events. Everything was back to the way it was before, spare he and Michael. Ashton looked over to the boy on his left. Michael sat hunched over, holding the pizza taco style. He bit into it messily, and Ashton smirked. Michael might be a mess, but he was his mess, as cliche as it was.

“If you take a picture, it’ll last longer.” Michael mumbled through the bite of pizza, and Ashton laughed, pulling out his phone. He snapped a picture, and Michael rolled his eyes.  
“Ash!” He cried, dragging out the ‘sss’. “I didn’t mean it literally.” Ashton chuckled, posting the picture to his instagram, with the caption ‘Some things will never change @MichaelgClifford’.

Ashton wasn’t really listening to Calum and Luke’s conversation, but he didn’t know if he wanted to. “But I’m a fairy.” Luke whined, and Ashton stared at the blonde, and Calum shrugged.  
“You’re an ugly fairy.” Michael muttered, and Ashton jerked his head to the left.  
“Didn’t you say that at, uh,” Ashton started.  
“The livestream, yeah.” Michael finished, and all three of the other boys stared at him.

“You guys should really get used to the whole remembering thing.” Michael said casually. “It happens quite a lot.” He took another bite of his pizza, as the rest of the band looked blankly at him. Michael shrugged.

“Ashton, Michael, you didn’t happen to post anything to social media, did you?” Luke said, looking behind the two.  
“Yeah, I posted a picture of Michael scarfing down a huge piece of pizza. Adorable, don’t you think?” Ashton asked, looking over at Michael. He really was adorable.  
“Yes, sure, maybe, I don’t care. Your location tracker must have been on.” Luke said, his glare still on the front door. Ashton finally turned his head, and what he saw was unexpected. Thousands of girls were rushing towards the doors, and the manager of the pizza joint was struggling to hold them closed. 

“Shit. Guys, I’m sorry.” Ashton murmured to the band, keeping his stare on the crowd.  
“Oh my god. Are they here.. for us?” Michael asked, a grin falling over his face.  
“Yes, but Mikey, it’s kinda dangerous to go out there. There have been instances in other bands where people get hurt, and-” Ashton was cut off by Michael taking his hand and standing up abruptly.  
“Well, c’mon. Let’s go!” Michael shouted, and Luke and Calum stood up, as well.

“I bet they have a back entrance somewhere.” Calum said, and Michael shook his head.  
“You guys are boring. I say we just go in head first.” Michael said, and Ashton smirked.  
“While your self-confidence is kind of hot, we can’t just barge out there. They’ll plow us down.” Ashton said, and Calum made a face.  
“Yeah, but we’ll get back up again.” Michael said. And before Ashton could further protest, Michael was practically dragging him by the arm to the main doors to the Pizza Hut.  
“Wait, Michael. We’re still holding hands!” Ashton cried as Michael threw open the front doors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have over 500 reads now... weird. Thank you all so much, I love you to bits. Seriously, though. To BITS.


	12. Chapter 12// Superhero

“I’m so sorry, Ash. Like, you have no idea.” 

Ashton and Michael were lounging in Ashton’s front room- well, if it could be called lounging. Michael held an ice pack to his head, and Ashton had his arm wrapped in a sling on his right side. Since their drummer couldn’t drum with just one arm, 5 Seconds of Summer was on an even further hiatus than originally anticipated.

“It’s fine, Mike. You don’t remember ever being mobbed before. First time for me, I ended up with a black eye and a concussion.” Ashton recalled.  
“Did one of your fans actually punch you in the face?” Michael asked, confusion sweeping over his features.  
“Uh, no, at least, I don’t think. It must have been an accidental elbowing of some sort.” Ashton said, shrugging his shoulders, before wincing at the feeling it gave his left one.  
“How did you get a dislocated shoulder? I mean, I know fans can be caring, but I don’t think I remember seeing Blink’s and Mayday Parade’s fans this harsh…” Michael muttered, and Ashton smiled sympathetically.

“But you have for Green Day, and the Rolling Stones, and Fall Out Boy, as well as for so many other great bands. We’re doing well, Michael. We’re doing well.” With his good arm, Ashton pulled Michael against his chest, cuddling him.  
“I sure do hope so.” Michael said, putting his head against Ashton's chest.

Michael pulled out his phone, opening twitter with slight hesitation. This small act made Ashton realise that he hadn’t been on his own twitter for over two months. He pulled out his phone, too, and looked at his feed. #MashtonMayhem was trending. Ashton made a face, confused at the idea. _Mayhem?_ He thought, tapping the tag. _Since when do people use the word mayhem?_

Inside the hashtag, there were hundreds of pictures of him and Michel being mobbed at the restaurant yesterday. There was a few pictures of Ashton being swarmed, a few more of Michael, a few of the picture from Ashton’s instagram, but there was one picture that just kept recurring. Someone had taken it from inside the restaurant, and it was the two of them looking away from the camera with their backs turned. Their hands were clasped tight. 

Ashton smiled big at the picture, and nudged Michael on the shoulder. “Mikey, we’re trending.” Ashton said, chuckling.  
“I know, I already saw it, baby.” Michael says, ruffling Ashton’s hair. Ashton smirks at the nickname, poking Michael’s cheek.  
“I’m no more a baby than you are punk rock.” Ashton says, and Michael shrugs.  
“Well, I’m pretty punk rock, so…”  
“You are not. You’re a giant kitten, Clifford. There’s no denying it.” Ashton said, and Michael gave in, smiling.  
“Alright, you win.” Michael said, and Ashton smiled.  
“Good. Now pose for a selfie, I want to troll our fans.” Ashton joked.  
“I’ll pose as long as you promise to never say troll again.” Michael said, his tone light.  
“Deal.”

Ashton posted the picture of the two of them cuddling with no explanation other than “#MashtonMayhem,” and thousands of retweets arrived on Ashton’s dash almost instantly. He smirked, shutting off his phone with a click. Michael muttered something against Ashton’s chest, but it was inaudible. It almost sounded to Ashton like Michael _said you look like a banshee,_ but Ashton didn't’ think that was exactly right.

“I have no idea what you just said.” Ashton says, quirking an eyebrow at Michel.  
“I said, we should watch a movie.” Michael says, pulling his head up.  
“Oh. Well that makes more sense.”  
“Well what did you think I said?”  
“Doesn’t matter. Anyway, that sounds good. We haven’t really got much better to do. Would you wanna go down to the rental place, or do you think we should just Netflix it?” Ashton asked, and Michel smiled.  
“We should Netflix it. There’s no way I’m getting up within the next million years.” Michael moaned, and Ashton smiled. He reached for the remote with his good arm, pulling up the band’s joint Netflix account.

“Anything you want to put on?” Ashton asked, and Michael shrugged.  
“Do a rom-com.” Michael says lazily, snuggling impossibly closer to Ashton. Ashton sighed overdramatically. It was no secret that he could not _stand_ rom-coms, and he was almost certain that Michael was doing this to annoy him. A slight chuckle from Michael affirmed Ashton’s assumption. “C’mon, Ash. I vote we watch that one movie that Luke’s always trying to get us to watch, then rub it in his face that we watched it without him. Please, Ashton?” Ashton looked down at Michael curiously.

“So you remembered Luke’s obsession with Love Actually, I take it?” Ashton asked, and Michael smiled.  
“You know it. Put it on. We can make commentary. I know how much you love commentary.” Michael bribed, and Ashton took it.  
“Eh, fine. Whatever. As long as I’m allowed to make fun of Colin Firth everytime he’s on screen.” Ashton said, and Michael grinned.

 

The movie ticked by quickly, and Ashton found himself surprisingly drawn to the tacky storyline of it. He especially liked Peter, Mark, and Juliet’s storyline, while Ash could tell Michael was definitely partial to the character Sam. “But, I mean,” Michael had protested, “he’s Thomas Brodie-Sangster. Except baby age. He therefore, by default, should win every award ever made ever.” Ashton looked at the credits, not moving a muscle. “Ash, are you okay?” Michael asked, and Ashton nodded firmly. “Are you… Are you crying?” Michael asked him.  
“I’m not crying, you’re crying.” Ashton said, quoting himself. He then realised that Michael wouldn’t even understand that he was quoting, and rubbed his eyes quickly.

“Ah, c’mere.” Michael said, pulling Ashton into a hug. “I know, the ending was sad, but there’s no need to cry. I’ve got ya.” Ashton smiled, nuzzling into Michael’s taller frame. “You know, it’s weird. I feel like I’m gonna remember something, but it just isn’t coming.” Michael said, as they pulled apart. “It’s like it’s on the tip of my mind or whatever.” Ashton silently pleaded that is was the memory of Truth or Dare, and the memory of their first kiss. _Not the first one that counted, but the first one, anyway,_ Ashton thought, smiling.

“Yeah.” He said, shrugging.  
“You know what we should do now? We should tell Luke that we watched a movie without him.” Michael said, and Ashton smiled. Any sadness from the movie had evaporated. Both boys pulled out their cellphones, opening twitter.

 

**@Luke5SOS** we may have marathoned without you… _(via @Ashton5SOS) ___

**@Ashton5SOS @Luke5SOS** ...and it may have been a favourite movie of yours… _(via @Michael5SOS)_

**@Ashton5SOS @Micahel5SOS** did it happen to start with love and end with actually _(via @Luke5SOS)_

**@Ashton5SOS @Michael5SOS** cause if it did I might have to murder you. _(via @Luke5SOS)_

Michael laughed out loud, and Ashton sniggered. “God, he’s a massive dork.” Michael joked, and Ashton rolled his eyes.  
“You say that like we aren’t.” Ashton said.  
“Oh, trust me. We are.” Michael said, as Ashton typed out his next reply.

**@Luke5SOS @Michael5SOS** but lukeeee murder of your bandmates is impolite… _(via @Ashton5SOS)_

**@Michael5SOS @Ashton5SOS** WELL SO IS GOING ON ROM-COM MARATHONS WITHOUT ME _(via @Luke5SOS)_

**@Luke5SOS @Michael5SOS @Ashton5SOS** guys go do something productive _(via @Calum5SOS)_

**@Calum5SOS** eww what are you doing here _(via @Ashton5SOS)_

**@Ashton5SOS** im trying to stop lucas from killing you what does it look like im doing _(via @Calum5SOS)_

**@Calum5SOS** being a twit _(via @Luke5SOS)_

**@Calum5SOS** yup. _via (@Michael5SOS)_

Michael laughed at his response, setting his phone down. Ashton smiled, and tucked his own phone into his back pocket.

Michael stood up, as if he was going somewhere, but then paused. “Did I really lose my passport?” Michael asked, and Ashton shrugged.  
“Yeah, I mean, it was only once, though. You got your new one right away, so… It wasn’t that big of a deal.” Ashton said, nonchalantly.  
“Hm.” Michael muttered, looking away.  
“What?” Ashton said.  
“Nothing, I just… the show still went on without me. I remember that. But it didn’t go on without you- it couldn’t. When you had your surgery, we had to cancel. The show would collapse without you. But… it didn’t really need me.” Michael said, and Ashton paused.

“Mikey, what are you saying?” Ashton asked carefully, standing to join the boy.  
“I kind of feel like I’m weighing you guys down. I dunno.” Michael said. He looked away from Ashton, frowning. Ashton sighed. This was _Michael_ talking, a boy who could never weigh anything down. He always managed to make even the worst situations bright.

“Michael. Mikey. Look at me.” Ashton said, and Michael glanced up. “You could never weigh us down, Michael. 5 Seconds of Summer wouldn’t be anything without the boy with the colorful hair. The boy who dances around the kitchen screaming Green Day lyrics at the top of his lungs. The boy who claims to be Punk Rock, but coos over a box of kittens. The boy who plays guitar like nobody’s business, and sings better than anyone I’ve ever heard. The boy who lost his passport _once_ , and never make the same mistake again. The boy who loves his bandmates, loves his family, loves his fans. Michael, 5 Seconds of Summer wouldn’t be anything without you. And I…” Ashton said, trailing off. He meant every word he said, but wasn’t sure if he was willing to tell Michael the next part yet. The part that he had spent so long preparing, the part he wanted to say forever. _I love you._ “I mean it.” Ashton finished, resisting the urge to slap his own face. _Dammit, Ash. You could’ve fucking said it._ Michael looked down at Ashton, a seemingly careful smile spreading across his face.

“I love you.” In the end, Michel was the first to say it.  
“Good.” Ashton stuttered out. A silence filled the room, and Michel glanced around awkwardly.  
“Uh-”  
“I love you, too, you dweeb.” Ashton said, grinning back at Michael.  
“Well thank fucking god, cause I was worried that that would have been the most awkward moment of my life.” Michael said.  
“Oh, and I’m guessing that wouldn’t be punk rock?” Ashton asked, and Michael laughed.

“Let it go, Irwin.” Michael said.  
“What, like Elsa did? That didn’t exactly end well.” Ashton retorted.  
“Well then, do something else with similar meaning.” Michael said back.

“Be my boyfriend.” Ashton said abruptly. The sudden burst of confidence had appeared out of nowhere. The pause following his statement left him seriously regretting it. “I’m sorry, that was out of hand, I-”  
“I’d love to.” Michael said, and Ashton smiled, pulling Michael into a hug. “Now who’s the dweeb?” Michael asked.

And then Ashton’s lips were on Michael’s, and the world seemed to slow. Ashton felt Michael place a hand in his hair, and goosebumps erupted on his skin. As Ashton moved his good hand to meet Michael’s hips, his heart was beating out of his chest. Michael pulled away slowly, and Ashton let his eyes linger closed, before looking softly at the boy whom he could now call his boyfriend.

“You’re a tacky bastard.” Michael said, and Ashton laughed.  
“You say that like you aren’t.” Ashton said. Michael smiled, then looked up over Ashton’s head, his glance tracing up. “Uh, Mikey? You alright?” Ashton asked.  
“You said our first kiss was the other day, right?” Michael asked, taking a step back cautiously.  
“Uh, yeah. The first one that counted.” Ashton said, and Michael sighed.  
“Our first kiss, it wasn’t the other day. The first time… We kissed, and I forgot. I forgot, Ashton!” Michael said, eyes widening. “I forgot.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter kind of sucks, but oh well. I read through the entire story and proofread, so if you were upset about grammar, it is now fixed. Cool. Comment, subscribe, and leave kudos! xx


	13. Chapter 13// Close as Strangers

“Hey. Michael. Calm down.” Ashton said, looking at the boy with worry.  
“How could I possibly calm down? I forgot something so important, Ashton! And I-” Michael started, but Ashton cut him off.  
“No. That’s not important. Important was when our band formed, during Teenage Dirtbag. Important was performing at the Forum. Important was recording Heartbreak Girl. That kiss lead to you nearly dying, Mikey! If it hadn’t happened, we probably would have kissed another time, with a different outcome. You forgot important things, true, but you remembered. And now look where we are. We’ll be resuming tour soon, you have two bandmates that love you and one that _loves_ you, the crowd cheers your name, and… we’re good, Michael. We’ll be okay.” Ashton pulled Michael into another hug. “And like I said. The first kiss that counted.”

“Thanks, Ashton. Just, thanks.” Michael said, nuzzling Ashton against his chest. He smiled.  
“And I mean, like, if it’s anyone’s fault, it’s mine. I mean, I was the one distracting you in the car, and I did kinda initiate the whole kiss thing. I’m sorry.” Ashton said.  
“Wait, hold on.” Michael said, pulling away from the hug. “You say it’s not my fault, but then turn around and frame yourself? That’s not how this works.” Michael said, worry in his voice.  
“Well, that’s ‘cause it wasn’t your fault.” Ashton said looking up at Mikey. “If it weren’t for me, you’d be okay.” Ashton said, his gaze falling towards his feet. He knew he’d let Michael down, and he didn’t know if he could ever forgive himself.

“But that’s the thing, Ashton. I _am_ okay.” Michael shouted emotionally, and Ashton ran a hand through his hair.  
“You could be more okay, and it’s all my fault that you’re not!” Ashton shouted back, his voice cracking dramatically. This was not happening. It could not be happening.

“Ashton, stop doing this to yourself. I’m fine, I’m not going anywhere, and what’s happened in the past is just that- the past. Forgive yourself, please. I need you to. I need to know that you’re not still here out of pity, that you actually do love me. I know it’s so fucking needy, but I just want us to have a clean start.” Michael heaved a breath, and Ashton smiled sadly.  
“Of course I love you, you twat,” was all Ash said gently in return.

Ashton’s clock chose that moment to chime, marking the change of the hour. “We should probably get to sleep.” Ashton said, smiling up at Michael.  
“Yeah.” Michael said, scratching his head. “Do you think that I should sleep on the couch, or,” Michael said awkwardly.  
“No, you dork. You’re sleepin’ with me. We’re gonna cuddle like we used to.” Ashton said, grabbing Michael’s wrist.  
“I don’t know if I remember the cuddling.” Michael said, a hopeless expression falling over his face. Ashton stood on his tip toes, whispering his next words seductively into Michael's ear.  
“Well. Maybe we can try something a little different, then.” 

 

Ashton awoke the next morning sore. 

 

Michael’s voice echoed through the apartment, singing lines to a song Ashton knew all too well. He smirked, recognizing the song to be Close as Strangers, one from their Target extended album. Ashton pulled the warm covers from himself quickly, rushing straight to the dresser to get a pair of boxer shorts and a some sweatpants. He was going to try to cook.

Toaster waffles and frozen pancakes. All Ashton actually had in his freezer was toaster waffles and frozen pancakes. _So much for being gourmet,_ Ashton thought bitterly, grabbing the toaster waffles from the freezer. He set the package on the countertop, pulling the toaster from the cabinet above. He hesitated to close the cabinet door. _Maybe it’ll taste better with Vegemite,_ Ashton thought, pulling the jar without second thought. _Everything tastes better with Vegemite._

Ashton slid four waffles into the toaster, setting the temperature on high. _I’ll just push the eject button in a minute,_ he thought, leaning up against the countertop.

_“Six weeks since I've been away,/  
 _And now you're sayin' everything has changed,/_  
 _And I'm afraid that I might be losing you./_  
 _And every night that we spend alone,/_  
 _It kills me thinking of you on your own,/_  
 _And I wish I was back home next to you…”__ Michael sang, and Ashton sighed, smiling at the boy’s voice. 

To Ashton, Michael wasn't his everything. He wasn’t part of Ashton- instead, he was an added bonus, something to look forward to the next morning. Yeah, they have their secrets, but it would be boring if they didn’t. Life with Michael was always exciting. Ashton glanced down at his feet, listening to his boyfriend’s voice. His boyfriend. Both before and after his amnesia, Michael made Ashton feel like he was floating. 

That was the exact moment the shower flicked off. Ashton’s head snapped up. How long had he been zoning out? He glanced over at the clock, dread filling his stomach. It had been 10 minutes, and he still hadn’t taken the waffles out of the toaster. The door to the bathroom opened with a creak, and Michael walked slowly into the kitchen, only a towel wrapped around his waist. “Hey, handsome. Do you happen to have any clothes I could borrow? I’d wear my old ones from yesterday, but… well, you know.” Michael said, smirking. The toaster waffles popped out of the toaster, and Ashton turned around suddenly. They were burnt to a crisp.

“Uh, yeah.” Ashton said, shaking his head. They could go out for breakfast.

About twenty minutes later, Michael was dressed in a black Never Enough singlet with pair of black skinny jeans that were a little too tight. Ashton was trying to fix his hair, and Michael would not stop complaining. “But Mikeeey.” Ashton whined jokingly, dragging out the ‘eee’ in Michael’s name. “You can’t just go out like that, it’s sticking out everywhere.”  
“I can do what I want.” Michael joked back.  
“I swear to god, if you say ‘cause I’m punk rock’ one more time…” Ashton said, and Michael smiled.  
“Cause I’m. Punk. Rock.” Michael said defiantly, and before he knew it, Ashton was chasing him around the small apartment, shouting nothing and everything, laughing harder than he ever had before.

Michael collapsed to the ground, his laughing growing softer. “These jeans are suffocating me.” he said overdramatically, and Ashton rolled his eyes.  
“Well, Mr. Clifford, I don’t have a bigger pair, so we’ll just have to stop at your place before we go out to eat to get you one of yours.” Ashton said, and Michael stood up, brushing off the pants.  
“Nah, I’m fine. If we’re going to eat, though, we should get going. The boys texted while you were asleep, saying to meet them at quarter to noon.” Michael said, and Ashton nodded. 

“To the nearest diner then, Romeo?” Ashton questioned, grinning.  
“Only if you’ll be my Juliette.” Michael said back slyly.  
“Didn’t she die at age thirteen? Clifford, are you planning to go back in time and murder me?” Ashton asked, pulling a fake appalled face.  
“Yeah, sure. Very possible.” Michael said, taking Ashton’s hand in his.

The diner was mostly empty, spare one or two customers in tables near the center of the place. Fluorescent lights lined the ceiling, and fluffy maroon booths lined the indoor walls. “So. Booth or table?” Michael said, smiling at nothing in particular.  
“Booth. It’s fun to say and has fluffy seats.” Ashton said, and Michael smiled, sitting down the booth nearest to the window. Ashton sat down across from him, taking Michael’s hand in his. Michael blushed.

“Hello. And what may I get you two?” The waitress asked. Her nametag said MARY in all capital letters.  
“I’ll have some eggs and toast, it that’s alright. Maybe with a water.” Ashton said, not even glancing at the menu.  
“Of course. And your boyfriend?” Mary asked. Ashton smiled at the use of the word. He would never get sick of hearing that.  
“I’ll just have coffee, thanks.” Michael said, grinning.

The waitress nodded, walking back towards the cooks. “You know, I used to work at a diner, when we still lived here.” Michael said.  
“Oh, really? Which one did ya work at?” Ashton said back.  
“Uh, New York Restaurant I think it was? ‘m not quite sure.” Michael said, shrugging. “There was this one waiter there, he’d always try to get me to stay the late shift, saying things like ‘Michael, it’ll be fun!’ and ‘Think of all the tips you’ll have.’ But I never did, and I can’t say I regret it, because I mean,” Michael said, and Ashton couldn’t help but zone out. If that makes him a bad person, then whatever. But he couldn’t help but think that even though they’d been dating for so little, he wanted the man across from him to be in his life. Goofing off and playing pranks, yes, but also getting matching tattoos and growing old. He wanted to be with Michael for the rest of his life, and he didn’t want that to ever change.

“And that’s ridiculous.” Michael concluded, laughing.  
“Hello, gentlemen, I have your eggs and toast with water,” the waitress said, having reappeared from the kitchen, “and I have your ‘just coffee.’” Mary said, sliding the plate and the two drinks onto the table.  
“Great, thanks. “ Michael said, happily taking a sip of the coffee.  
“Let me know if there’s anything I can get you.” Mary said.  
“Will do. Thank you.” Ashton said, releasing a second too late that what he had said just then had rhymed. 

The waitress walked away and Michel smirked.  
“What?” Ashton said, half knowing what Michael was going to say.  
“You’re a poet and you didn’t even know it.” Michael joked, and Ashton rolled his eyes.  
“Haha. Very funny.” He said sarcastically, taking a bite of his eggs. 

The eggs were good enough, and Michael insisted on tipping the waitress insane amounts, claiming that he ‘knows what those working conditions are like’ and that she ‘must be going through some tough shit to have to work there.’ Ashton didn’t argue. They walked out of the restaurant feeling refreshed and placid. Well, that is, until they realised the time.

“Shit.” Michael said, once the boys were seated in Michael's car, parked outside the diner.  
“What’s up?” Ashton said.  
“We told the boys we’d meet them at 11:45, and now it’s 12:34. We left Calum alone with Luke for nearly an hour… He’s gonna kill me, dammit.” Michael said, shoving the key into the engine.  
“Wait, why would Calum be upset for you leaving him alone with Luke? The two of them have known eachother forever, I don’t understand.” Ashton said, confused.  
“Wait, you meant he didn’t tell you?” Michael asked, and then realisation struck his features.  
“What? Spill it, Mikey. I wanna know.” Ashton said.  
“I guess you were talking to Luke when he told me… But no, I promised him I wouldn’t tell a soul. I’m sorry, Ash.” Michael said, pushing the car into drive.

Ashton nodded, sighing. “That’s alright, I guess. Secrets kinda suck, but I can ask him myself.” Ashton said, and Michael kept his eyes on the road.  
“You might not want to do that.”  
“Why not? Calum’s my friend, he’d tell me.” Ashton insisted.  
“Well remember how he said he loved someone? Remember how secretive he got at the Pizza Hut a few days ago? He’s not gonna tell you, and he’s gonna be pissed that you asked.” Michael said.  
“Well then why’d he tell you?” Ashton pressed, crossing his arms.  
“I have no idea.” Michael said, and that was the end of it. Ashton pressed the on button of the car’s CD player, and Mayday Parade’s _Jersey_ filled their ears. Ashton leaned back in his seat.

 

“Heya, Luke.” Ashton called once he and Michael had exited the car. Luke was sitting on a fold out chair in his garage, looking nervous. He had on his Pugs Not Drugs tee with a heavy sweatshirt, and was tapping his foot repetitively. “What’s wrong?” Ashton asked, worry in his voice.  
“Oh, hey. Uh… Not much. I’m not sure where Calum went. He said he was off to the bathroom, but it’s been twenty minutes. I’ve called his cell a bunch of times- I don’t know.” Luke said, shrugging. He bit his lip ring, his eyes downcast.  
“Hold on, I’ll try and find him.” Michael said, walking towards the door to Luke’s bathroom.  
“Mikey, wait.” Ashton said, grabbing Michael’s elbow.  
“Yeah?” Michael said.  
“Could I go? Calum and I haven't really talked much recently,” Ashton said, “And I want to see if he’s alright.”  
“Uh, sure. ‘ll stay here with Luke.” Michael said.  
“Shouldn’t I be going, too? I mean-” Luke started, but Michael cut him off.  
“No. Just… no. Go ahead, Ash.” Michael said.

Ashton shrugged, walking into Luke’s house from the garage. “Nice outfit there, Michael.” Ashton heard Luke say as he exited.  
“Shut up.” was Michael’s only response.

Jack, Luke’s older brother, sat on the couch with a video game controler in his hand. Next to him sat someone Ashton had never seen before, and they held a controller, too.  
“Hey, I’m Ashton.” Ashton said awkwardly, introducing himself to the stranger.  
“H-hold on, I’ve almost beat this level.” Jack practically screeched, leaning in towards the TV. A red screen flashed, marking his character’s death. Ashton gave him a confused look. “Oh, right. Ash, this is Kennedy, Kennedy, this is Ash.” Ashton waved his hand at Kennedy, and they waved back. “Kennedy prefers gender neutral pronouns, which can be a hassle,” Jack said, earning himself a punch in the arm via Kennedy, “but it’s worth it.”  
“Nice to meet ya, Ash.” Kennedy said, and Ashton smiled.  
“Pleasure’s mine. Did you happen to see a kiwi boy with, like, black hair and stuff rush past here? A little off topic, but Luke says that Cal’s been gone for twenty or so minutes, and that’s kinda crazy. Even for him.” Ashton said. Jack shrugged.

“Uh, yeah, he dashed up the stairs a while ago. He appeared a little anxious.” Kennedy said, and Ashton nodded.  
“Right, thanks!” He called behind him, already rushing up the steps.

Ashton arrived at the top floor of the Hemmings residence to see each door opened, spare only one. The white door had a brass handle, which, just from looking at it, Ashton could tell was locked. “Calum?” Ashton asked, wrapping his knuckle lightly against the oak door. “You in there?” When no response came, Ashton knocked harder. “Calum? Calum, answer me.” Silence. “Calum!” Ashton called, practically pounding on the door.

“What?” A small voice came from the bathroom. It was Calum. Ashton breathed a sigh of relief. He had no idea what he was worried for, but he was glad that Calum was okay.  
“What do you mean, what? Please open the door.” Ashton said.  
“Give me a minute.”  
“No. Open the door.” Ashton said, tapping his hand against his leg.  
“Why?”  
“Please!”  
“Okay, I’m coming!” Calum called, and the door unlatched. Calum’s eyes were sunken, as if he had been crying. Ashton heaved a sigh.  
“Calum. You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to, but… just know that I’m always here if you want to talk.” Ashton said shakily. 

When Ashton was younger, when his world was taken off his hinges by bullies and financial struggles, he had turned to things he could never think about. His wrists still carried the scars, and his heart still carried the burden. But he knows that now, he would never, _ever,_ dream of doing that again. And he hopes that Calum, too, feels that way.

“I know, I know. Relationship problems, that’s all. ‘m just being a wuss.” Calum said, and Ashton smiled. Maybe Ashton didn’t have anything to worry about, after all.

“Well c’mon, then. Luke and Mikey are in the garage, waiting for you to practice.” Ashton said, smiling goodnaturedly at Calum.  
“Yeah, okay.” Calum said, following Ashton down the steps. Kennedy waved when they entered the front room, but Jack’s eyes were still drawn to the video game.

“So why were you guys so late, anyways? I mean, call time wasn’t till quarter to noon, and I figured-” Calum started, but stopped when he opened the door to the garage. There sat Michael and Luke, discussing clothing and random stuff, and Michael was dressed in Ashton’s tee and pants.

“Oh. I see why you were late.” Calum said, wiggling his eyebrows.  
“Shut up.” Ashton grumbled, and Luke and Michael looked up to see the two of them.  
“Hey, Calum. You feeling alright?” Luke asked, evidently worried.  
“Uh, yeah. No big deal.” Calum said, eyes downcast. Ashton made a mental note to talk to him about it later.

“So. Luke was saying we were doing pretty successfully. Care to elaborate?” Michael said. It was clear, to Ashton at least, that Michael noticed the sadness in Calum’s eyes and cared enough to switch conversation topics.  
“Well, we toured with One Direction.” Ashton said, as he begun to set up his drum set.  
“Twice.” Calum added, slipping onto the stool next to Luke.

“And we managed to get an AMA.” Luke said, smiling.  
“We were invited to Taylor Swift’s birthday party.” Calum said.  
“No way.” Michael said, his face lighting up.  
“Yes way. It was mostly because of you, ya know. And ‘m pretty sure you were the _original_ ‘fella over there with the hella good hair.’” Luke said.

“You’re joking.” Michael said, running a hand through his dyed red hair.  
“Nope. And we won second in Alter The Press’s top album charts. That was pretty cool.” Calum said.  
“And we made a book.” Luke added.  
“Damn. We’re pretty good.” Michael said, looking over at his friends.  
“You know we are.” Ashton said, barely containing his grin.

“Shut up, ya ass, you’re being pompous.” Michael said, joking.  
“You know you love me.” Ashton said, sticking his tongue out.  
“I do love you, but you’re still kind of a dick.” Michael said, laughing.  
“Well this dick loves you back.” Ashton said. Calum faked a gag, and Luke burst out in chuckles.

Ashton smiled, and at that precise moment, he felt happy. He felt like, even if he got cancer, or amnesia, or any sort of problem was thrown his way, he could conquer it, with Michael by his side. Ashton Irwin felt on top of the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys. It's really been quite the journey, hasn't it? Well guess what- it's not over. A sequel, Onomatopoeia, is coming out this Fall, or whenever I feel like enough interest is shown to make enough of a following for the story. Additionally, a trailer for Ironic is now available on YouTube! Here's the link:  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmVjzDOulxM
> 
> Also, feel free to check out this story on Wattpad:  
> http://www.wattpad.com/story/26011897-ironic-a-mashton-fanfic
> 
> and at 5 Seconds of Summer Fanfiction:  
> http://www.5secondsofsummerfanfiction.com/Story/61090/Ironic-A-Mashton-Fanfiction/
> 
> THANK YOU ALL!  
> Signed, Cecilia/Molly, depending.


	14. Onomatopoeia\\ Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The prologue for Onomatopoeia. Note: There will be an added link to the story as soon as it is available.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hate to disappoint, but it will be a while before I go about finally publishing Onomatopoeia to ao3. I want to finish it both on 5 Seconds of Summer Fanfiction and Wattpad first, which means there will be roughly a two month gap between now and then. However, to make up for the absence, I will be doing something special...

Luke Robert Hemmings. With his wavy blonde hair that reminded you of the sand on the beach; not the dry, chalky stuff, but the sand that's been cascaded upon by the consistent waves pulling at it slowly over time. Blue eyes like the sky at night, when you realise how small you really are and how dependent you are on each and every star. Those amazing stars in the dark, deep ocean of blue we simply refer to as the sky. So easy to lose yourself in... His smile. It takes the sensation of a cheery hug on a winter's day, plugs it into an amp, and sends it straight to your heart. And his voice. Wow. It can blow you away with even the smallest of harmonies. But when given the mightiest of melodies, it leaves you melted like putty into the palm of his hand. 

When people would ask Calum why he liked Luke, why he found him so amazing, he wanted to just tell them. Yell it at them. Let them know. Tell them the reasons he's fallen, fallen so hard for his best friend. Let everything out. Let everyone know. But he can't. He responds with a simple "I don't know, man." Why? Sometimes, you just can't say. It cuts too deep. Hurts too bad. It kills you from the inside out. Yet you still don't say it. One word stops you. One simple word. Love.

Calum Thomas Hood. When Luke looked at him, he saw a good mate, maybe even his best friend. Well, sure- they did kiss that one time- but Luke prides himself on the reputation that he’s kissed basically everyone he’s ever met at some point. And he has a girlfriend, and she’s… nice, Luke guesses. He’s a little confused at the moment. Not that he’d ever admit to that. Because there’s one thing he’d lose, one thing he could never regain. One thing that he could give, but still have. Trust.

The obvious thing for Calum to do is move on, get over it. But when he sees Luke, and he does rather often, he always gets that feeling. The chest-is-on-fire-I-can’t-breathe feeling. Calum already told Michael, who’d already figured it out, the day that they went to his apartment and explained everything. And Calum knows Ashton’s on to it. Ash has been questioning him a lot lately, and it kinda scares him. Will he be able to get his own head out of his ass long enough to decide whether to tell Luke or not? Consequences are everywhere, and Calum knows he’s walking on thin ice. 

Additionally, being in a band is hard work. Not only does he have to make sure he’s putting forth his all, but he has to make sure his best friends are, as well. They can't get too silly, and he can't let any of his haphazardly buried feelings get in the way, and there is no way--no way--he could ever even think about dating. Way too much stuff is going on, there simply isn't enough time.

Oh, but don't get Calum wrong. He does actually enjoy dating. He's one of those people who just love love. And though he wishes the rules would bend for him, unfortunately, they can't. One time he tried to make them... and that did not end well. That's why last year, when the band 5 Seconds of Summer had this gigantic dating fiasco, he was surprised to be in the center of it. Well, it was sorta his fault, too. That only made it worse.

Okay, so maybe worse isn't the best word to use. Made it more interesting. More fucking odd. Which is kind of hard to do, considering it was the oddest thing that ever happened to them, like, ever. It was a good thing it did, too, or Calum might have crumbled right away. Anyways. Like they say.

It all started with a big bang.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, what a happy ending. But really, it is only the beginning. If you read the notes up top, you know it will be a while before we see the Ironic!verse 5SOS. But complain not, for I have come up with a pacifier. I will be posting... (drum roll please)... One shots! 
> 
> Okay, that was a little anticlimactic. But I do plan on posting a total of seven one shots. There will be one for each of the following:  
> //Cashton (The Five Times Calum Ran Into a Nameless Guy in a Bar, And the One Time He Wasn't So Nameless)  
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/3184499  
> //Cake (Coincidences)  
> //Malum (I Really Hate This Job)  
> //Lashton (They Should Lettuce Be Lovers)  
> //Mashton (The English Teacher and the Janitor)  
> //Muke (Nobody Likes Magikarp)  
> and  
> //Platonic 5SOS (I Think We're Stuck)
> 
> So yeah! Those will be every Monday, just like this one was. Keep in contact, guys, and please be patient for Onomatopoeia. Love you all!

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for the rude intro. I've already written this whole thin in advance, so... Just wait until I feel like I have enough readers, then I'll post it.


End file.
